tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249919362019-04-18T04:30:44.572-07:00Rosalind EvansTrying to stay afloat on a sea of medication. Living as best I can around my Cystic Fibrosis.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-72883182728720088512018-02-19T10:59:00.001-08:002018-02-19T11:06:51.613-08:00Lemon Meringue PieI love lemons, they are one of my favorite flavours, so lemon meringue pie is a definite favorite in my house.&nbsp; My mum used to make a fab pie that is the stuff of family legend, so I can only hope to get somewhere close to that.&nbsp; My take on it is based on Mary Berry's pie but I use normal shortctust pastry for the base rather than the biscuit version she uses.<br /><br />Shortcrust Pastry<br />180g flour<br />90g butter<br />iced water<br /><br />Filling<br />397g tin condensed milk<br />3 large egg yolks<br />finely grated rind and juice of 3 lemons<br /><br />Topping<br />3 large egg whites<br />175g castor sugar<br /><ul><li>Preheat the oven to 170c</li><li>Make the shortcrust pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour either by hand or with a food processor or with a stand mixer.</li><li>Sprinkle about 3 tbsp of iced water over the mixture and stir in using a&nbsp; knife.&nbsp; Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a smooth paste.&nbsp; If the mixture does not come together add a little more water.&nbsp; Form the pastry into a disc and wrap in clingfilm and rest for 30 mins.</li><li>Roll out the pastry and line an 8inch pie dish.</li><li>Cut a circle of greaseproof paper a bit bigger than the pie dish and use it to line the pastry case, fill with baking beans.</li><li>Blind bake the pastry for 20 mins, remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 5 mins until the pastry is golden.</li><li>Make the filling by pouring the condensed milk into a bowl then beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice</li><li>Pour the mixture into the pastry case.</li><li>Whisk the egg whites till stiff. Gradually add the sugar a spoon at a time whisking well in between each spoon until the mixture is very stiff.</li><li>Spoon over the pie.</li><li>Bake for 20mins, leave to cool for 30mins then eat warm.</li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jvdf8vRx7o/Wosf0sBWUJI/AAAAAAAAFW0/kug9QszrHgkTHAE2N_u67_RA3hCteJ7cwCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-01-21%2B19.27.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jvdf8vRx7o/Wosf0sBWUJI/AAAAAAAAFW0/kug9QszrHgkTHAE2N_u67_RA3hCteJ7cwCLcBGAs/s320/2018-01-21%2B19.27.56.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mM4BPRClfJc/WosgKSO6U-I/AAAAAAAAFW4/WeLbxmfwGGcg9E8jaiCJ04qD2DFmYA4-QCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-01-21%2B18.12.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mM4BPRClfJc/WosgKSO6U-I/AAAAAAAAFW4/WeLbxmfwGGcg9E8jaiCJ04qD2DFmYA4-QCLcBGAs/s320/2018-01-21%2B18.12.18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zOlW7n4GX2U/WosgQ3_vwoI/AAAAAAAAFW8/yFNI8wY1UVUOMatfsuE8iRxyL58Dhhu3wCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-01-21%2B18.12.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zOlW7n4GX2U/WosgQ3_vwoI/AAAAAAAAFW8/yFNI8wY1UVUOMatfsuE8iRxyL58Dhhu3wCLcBGAs/s320/2018-01-21%2B18.12.18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-8677765486355261842018-01-08T11:55:00.002-08:002018-01-08T12:38:30.825-08:00Epic Christmas PieI wanted to carry on with my pastry practice over Christmas so found this rather epic Christmas pie on the Goodfood website.&nbsp; I'd not used a spring form tin for pastry before, but it came out really well and I'll definitely try it again.&nbsp; I did deviate from the recipe by making the pastry from scratch rather than pre made.&nbsp; One thing I did mess up was measuring the ingredients for the pastry, I convinced myself that the ration of flour to fat was 1:1&nbsp; instead of 2 flour:1 fat. Oops! I had to start again with the first batch of pastry, but got it right second time, and it's not a mistake I will make again!<br /><br />For the pastry<br />250g butter<br />500g flour<br />Iced water<br /><br />For the filling<br />2 tbsp olive oil<br />knob butter<br />1 onion finely chopped<br />500g sausagemeat<br />grated zest of 1 lemon<br />100g fresh white breadcrumbs<br />85g dried apricots, chopped<br />50g chestnuts, chopped<br />2 tsp chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme<br />100g cranberries<br />500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts<br />1 egg beaten to glaze<br /><ul><li>Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour either by hand or with a food processor or a stand mixer, until it resembles breadcrumbs.</li><li>Sprinkle about 3 tbsp of iced water over the mixture and stir in using a&nbsp; knife.&nbsp; Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a smooth paste.&nbsp; If the mixture does not come together add a little more water.&nbsp; Form the pastry into a disc and wrap in clingfilm and rest for 30 mins.</li><li>Whilst the pastry rests make the filling.&nbsp; Heat oven to 190c/170fan/gas 5.</li><li>Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, then add the onion and fry for 5 mins until softened,&nbsp; Cool slightly. Tip the sausagemeat, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, apricots, chestnuts and thyme into a bowl.&nbsp; Add the onion and cranberries and mix everything together with your hands, adding plenty of pepper and a little salt.</li><li>Cut each chicken breast into three fillets lengthwise and season all over with salt&nbsp;and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan and fry the chicken fillets until browned, about 6-8mins.</li></ul><ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7j9ID0Spls/WlPVPKhszgI/AAAAAAAAFTA/nyl2lCuPd3c1mhaEvbM2IHNNex7ntdA4QCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-23%2B12.51.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7j9ID0Spls/WlPVPKhszgI/AAAAAAAAFTA/nyl2lCuPd3c1mhaEvbM2IHNNex7ntdA4QCLcBGAs/s200/2017-12-23%2B12.51.02.jpg" width="150" /></a><li>Roll out the thirds of the pastry to line a 20-23cm springform tin.&nbsp; Press in half the sausage mix and spread to level.&nbsp; Then add the chicken pieces in one layer and cover with the rest of the sausage mix.&nbsp; Press down lightly.</li><li>Roll out the remaining pastry.&nbsp; Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and cover with the pastry lid.&nbsp; Pinch the edges to seal, then trim.&nbsp; Brush the top of the pie with the egg, then reroll the trimmings to make holly leaf shape and berries.&nbsp; Decorate the pie and brush again with egg.</li><li>Set the tin on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60mins, then cool in the tin for 15 mins.&nbsp; Remove the tin and leave to cool completely.</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UdM0PEqo0gM/WlPVOlzEo1I/AAAAAAAAFS4/JDJyld0b3zYauEieycOH5VBE3m6u2jmKQCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-23%2B13.10.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UdM0PEqo0gM/WlPVOlzEo1I/AAAAAAAAFS4/JDJyld0b3zYauEieycOH5VBE3m6u2jmKQCLcBGAs/s200/2017-12-23%2B13.10.22.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTh0ecdfpio/WlPVO2FNunI/AAAAAAAAFS8/GBdt9jyAlDke3MEFS8gs3uEnaSNy-OifQCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-23%2B13.10.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTh0ecdfpio/WlPVO2FNunI/AAAAAAAAFS8/GBdt9jyAlDke3MEFS8gs3uEnaSNy-OifQCLcBGAs/s200/2017-12-23%2B13.10.44.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-60sduviKPsE/WlPVPQhVZUI/AAAAAAAAFTE/zWamGwk1LS0bg2VzqvSb5ekiMD_EL8dfQCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-23%2B14.07.39-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-60sduviKPsE/WlPVPQhVZUI/AAAAAAAAFTE/zWamGwk1LS0bg2VzqvSb5ekiMD_EL8dfQCLcBGAs/s200/2017-12-23%2B14.07.39-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-saMPLJRPSIA/WlPVP16RUgI/AAAAAAAAFTI/mcs_JzttvR0W_LaDQ59nO2URDVePbLsUgCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-23%2B14.25.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-saMPLJRPSIA/WlPVP16RUgI/AAAAAAAAFTI/mcs_JzttvR0W_LaDQ59nO2URDVePbLsUgCLcBGAs/s200/2017-12-23%2B14.25.19.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>&nbsp;This is a really good pie recipe that really hits all the Christmassy flavours without being too overpowering.&nbsp; I'll definitely be making it again and trying other epic pies!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t-R8gnBlBk/WlPVP0KXRdI/AAAAAAAAFTM/kW6EMQwyNLc7W_wAw_aVKSFS5QxYOn_1wCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-23%2B14.28.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4t-R8gnBlBk/WlPVP0KXRdI/AAAAAAAAFTM/kW6EMQwyNLc7W_wAw_aVKSFS5QxYOn_1wCLcBGAs/s200/2017-12-23%2B14.28.44.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-40278029378018064512017-12-22T09:25:00.001-08:002017-12-22T09:25:37.826-08:00Quiche LorraineMore pastry practice! This time a savoury recipe, and who doesn't like a good quiche lorraine? This recipe is from BBC Good Food again (love the magazine) and is really rich and creamy.<br /><b><br /></b><b>For the pastry</b><br />175g plain flour<br />100g Cold butter cut into small cubes<br />1 egg yolk<br /><br /><b>For the filling</b><br />200g lardons<br />50g Gruyere cheese<br />200mls creme fraiche<br />200mls double cream<br />3 eggs, well beaten<br />pinch ground nutmeg<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>For the pastry, put the flour, butter, egg yolk and 4 tsp cold water into a food processor.&nbsp; Using the pulse button process until the mix binds (alternatively mix with stand mixer or rub the butter into the flour with your hands and stir in the egg yolk).&nbsp; Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a smooth ball then roll out as thinly as you can (controversially don't rest the pastry!)&nbsp; Line a 23 x 2.5cm loose bottomed fluted flan tin, easing the pastry into the base. Trim the pastry edges with scissors (save the trimmings) so it sits slightly above the tin (if it shrinks it shouldn't now go below the level on the tin).&nbsp; Press the pastry into the flutes, lightly prick the base with a fork (called docking) and chill for 10mins.&nbsp; Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat to 200c/180c fan/gas 6.</li><li>Line the pastry case with foil, shiny side down, fill with dry beans and bake on the hot sheet for 15mins.&nbsp; Remove foil and beans and bake for 4-5mins more until the pastry is pale and golden.&nbsp; If you notice any small holes or cracks patch up with pastry trimmings.&nbsp; You can make up to this point a day ahead.</li><li>Whilst the pastry cooks prepare the filling.&nbsp; Heat a small frying pan, tip in the lardons and fry for a couple of mins,&nbsp; Drain off any liquid that comes out, then continue cooking until the lardons just start to colour, but arn't crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels.&nbsp; Cut three quarters of the cheese into small cubes and finely grate the rest.&nbsp; Scatter the diced cheese and fried lardons over the bottom of the pastry case.</li><li>Using a spoon beat the creme fraiche to slacken it, then slowly beat in the double cream. Mix in the beaten eggs.&nbsp; Season (you wont need much salt due to the lardons) and add the nutmeg.&nbsp; Pour three quarters of the filling into the pastry case.</li><li>Half pull the oven shelf out and put the flan tin on the baking sheet.&nbsp; Quickly pour the rest of the filling into the pastry case-you get it right to the top this way.&nbsp; Scatter the grated cheese over the top, then carefully push the shelf back into the oven (having someone else to help really makes this easier!).&nbsp; Lower the oven temp to 190c/170c fan/gas 5.&nbsp; Bake for about 25mins or until golden and softly set (the centre should not feel too firm).&nbsp; Let the quiche settle for 4-5 mins, then remove from the tin.&nbsp; Serve freshly baked, but it's also good cold.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zo4pYKLMM98/Wj09-zV6l3I/AAAAAAAAFRY/NBaalLfuYcIFDZHo_56UmN6H5F_ADw4ewCEwYBhgL/s1600/2017-12-21%2B13.02.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zo4pYKLMM98/Wj09-zV6l3I/AAAAAAAAFRY/NBaalLfuYcIFDZHo_56UmN6H5F_ADw4ewCEwYBhgL/s320/2017-12-21%2B13.02.54.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03xT4W6czFg/Wj09-6ebwgI/AAAAAAAAFRU/At3Bpz9BFKMenJqwhVpuy0p8-YxznFvYwCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-12-21%2B13.09.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03xT4W6czFg/Wj09-6ebwgI/AAAAAAAAFRU/At3Bpz9BFKMenJqwhVpuy0p8-YxznFvYwCLcBGAs/s320/2017-12-21%2B13.09.42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This recipe turned out really well; it tasted really good.&nbsp; I did get some pastry shrinkage, but leaving the excess pastry attached sorted that out. Also, I nearly had a disaster when taking the pastry case out of the oven after blind baking it, it came out of the case, so I had to carefully slot it back in, not easy when wearing oven gloves... but I'll definitely be making this recipe again.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-4469751374536826822017-12-16T11:21:00.001-08:002017-12-19T12:28:32.923-08:00Mince PiesBecause it's just not Christmas without mince pies! And it's a good opportunity to practice sweet shortcrust pastry.&nbsp; This time I tried Paul Holywood's pastry recipe, which has a very high fat to flour ratio, making for a slightly more sticky dough that needs a bit of patience to work with as it tears quite easily, but equally it's easy to pat it back together again.&nbsp; &nbsp;I was inspired by Nigella to top my pies with cut out shapes rather than traditional lids.&nbsp; However, the high butter content makes the cut pastry loose its shape a bit when baked, so my nice sharp snowflakes look a bit melty on baking.&nbsp; I must admit I did cheat and use store bought mincemeat, but I actually really like the shop bought kind so what the hey!<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WTHp1X38Ol4/WjVPFcTsPZI/AAAAAAAAFPc/UIXIxLAyR1gf2ZkwyywUOs_MWID4aCwBgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WTHp1X38Ol4/WjVPFcTsPZI/AAAAAAAAFPc/UIXIxLAyR1gf2ZkwyywUOs_MWID4aCwBgCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_1370.JPG" width="200" /></a><b>Ingredients</b><br />Large jar of mincemeat, I used Waitrose 800g jar<br />375g plain flour<br />260g butter<br />125g caster sugar (I used vanilla sugar)<br />1 large egg beaten<br /><br />Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs-I used my stand mixer to do this.<br /><ul><li>Stir in the sugar.</li><li>Beat the egg and sprinkle over the flour mixture.</li><li>Use a knife to stir the mixture until it clumps together, then turn it out onto a floured surface and knead gently into a smooth paste.&nbsp; Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30mins.</li><li>Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas mark 7</li><li>Once rested, cut the dough in half and roll out to 3mm thickness.&nbsp; Using a round cutter, cut out rounds for the pie bases. Press gently into the muffin trays.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RkAMBaTc6MY/WjVPV45ytgI/AAAAAAAAFPg/Jw07HeF4EfAjh5Pt12QwVPN0UXcbyE9FACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RkAMBaTc6MY/WjVPV45ytgI/AAAAAAAAFPg/Jw07HeF4EfAjh5Pt12QwVPN0UXcbyE9FACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></li><li>Fill the pastry cases with the mincemeat.</li><li>Reroll the pastry and cut out snowflakes or ivy leaves and top the pies with them.</li><li>Continue cutting out the pastry til it is all used, I got 14 pies from this quantity of pastry.</li><li>Brush the tops with egg wash or milk.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ENkcA_aM040/WjVPjwoc0BI/AAAAAAAAFPo/Mm-9orJYef4YiJWNqV48dnx8mn6SMEhBgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ENkcA_aM040/WjVPjwoc0BI/AAAAAAAAFPo/Mm-9orJYef4YiJWNqV48dnx8mn6SMEhBgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1372.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></li><li>Bake for 15 to 20 mins until golden brown, then leave to cool before turning out of the tins.&nbsp; Dust with icing sugar to serve.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mdNufp8-CIU/Wjl2aGlXJJI/AAAAAAAAFQo/-ypGoE3H-M8XInBDOlUOhZB6Eun_zb8TgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mdNufp8-CIU/Wjl2aGlXJJI/AAAAAAAAFQo/-ypGoE3H-M8XInBDOlUOhZB6Eun_zb8TgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1375.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></li></ul><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-87621262386173895162017-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:002017-12-10T08:49:25.909-08:00Tarte au CitronIn my continuing attempt to master pastry I decided to make a Tarte au Citron this week.&nbsp; I used the recipe from my Leith's Baking Bible but instead of making a Pate Sucree I used the sweet rich shortcrust pastry recipe as its a lot simpler! The Pate Sucree recipe involves many more complicated steps and french terms, when I have the hang of shortcrust I may try it, but not just yet...<br /><b><br /></b><b>For the Sweet Rich shortcrust Pastry for a 20cm/8inch tart tin</b><br />170g/6oz plain flour<br />A pinch of salt<br />100g/3 1/2oz cold butter<br />1 egg yolk<br />2 tablespoons ice cold water<br /><br /><b>For the filling</b><br />4 eggs<br />1 egg yolk<br />200g/7oz caster sugar<br />150ml/ 5 fl oz double cream<br />grated zest and juice of two lemons<br /><br /><b>To finish</b><br />icing sugar, sifted<br /><br /><ol><li>Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.&nbsp; Cut the butter into 1cm cubes and add to the flour.</li><li>Rub the butter into the flour, either by hand, or in a food processor or a stand mixture.</li><li>Stop when the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.&nbsp; Mix the egg yolk with the water and sprinkle over the flour mixture</li><li>Stir with a knife until the mixture begins to clump together.&nbsp; If the mixture is still a little dry sprinkle in a little more water.</li><li>Bring the mixture together with you hands and gently press into a smooth paste. Form into a disc, cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30mins</li><li>Once rested, take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out onto a lightly floured surface or a piece of bake-o-glide.</li><li>Line an 8 inch tart tin with the pastry and return it to the fridge to rest again for another 30mins</li><li>Preheat the oven to 190C/ Fan 170&nbsp;</li><li>Line the chilled pastry shell with baking parchment and fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 mins</li><li>Remove the beans and bake again for 5-10mins until the pastry is golden and sandy to touch.</li><li>Lower the oven temperature to 170c/Fan 150</li><li>Mix the eggs, yolk and sugar together until smooth, then strain through a sieve to remove any eggy threads.&nbsp; Stir in the cream.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Add the lemon zest and juice; the mixture will thicken considerable.</li><li>Pour the lemon filling into the pastry case and bake for 50mins until almost set.&nbsp; Check the tart periodically and if the pastry and filling is starting to brown too much cover with foil.&nbsp; Be careful not to let the foil touch the filling as it will stick.</li><li>When the tart is cooked remove the tart tin and leave to cool</li><li>To serve dust thickly with icing sugar and serve with cream.&nbsp;</li></ol><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xsD-6iWr0fA/Wi1kGWL7x8I/AAAAAAAAFNg/JB4zxJ_fgbopch7_unrOHqEzR_Pg6jwdgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xsD-6iWr0fA/Wi1kGWL7x8I/AAAAAAAAFNg/JB4zxJ_fgbopch7_unrOHqEzR_Pg6jwdgCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_1358.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rFpXwZqR0cQ/Wi1kGdoJbYI/AAAAAAAAFNg/yyJdNzwT8zUCRlROL0MSgsNeYmqataAmgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rFpXwZqR0cQ/Wi1kGdoJbYI/AAAAAAAAFNg/yyJdNzwT8zUCRlROL0MSgsNeYmqataAmgCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_1363.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>I was quite pleased with how the tart turned out, the pastry was nice and short with no soggy bottom, and it certainly tasted good.&nbsp; Sadly, the foil I covered the tart with to prevent it burning got stuck to the filling so the surface was a bit ruffled up, but a good helping of icing sugar helps cover it up.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-11213338458512298672017-12-02T08:27:00.000-08:002017-12-04T10:38:42.747-08:00Plum and Marzipan PieI like to think that I am a pretty proficient baker, but I do have a kryptonite.... pastry.&nbsp; It's a completely unreasonable fear, as all pastry is, is a mixture of fat, flour and water - fundamentally not scary at all!&nbsp; But I've had a few bad experiences with pastry not working and I must admit that I usually just buy pastry ready made cos its easier.... But no more! I refuse to be scared of a food, so I am going to practice making pastry til I can do it properly (and I'll get pie!), it shall be my pastry project.&nbsp; I've managed a pecan pie and a lemon meringue pie so far, but I thought I'd do a blog about a lovely pie I found in my BBC Goodfood magazine which uses sweet shortcrust pastry.&nbsp; It's a Plum and marzipan pie, two of my favorite things.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c5QsR02uyj4/WiLOaRXPkOI/AAAAAAAAFBA/EzSfPpGA0Uwjh1-k7VXwT2Y6DQIae4KVACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c5QsR02uyj4/WiLOaRXPkOI/AAAAAAAAFBA/EzSfPpGA0Uwjh1-k7VXwT2Y6DQIae4KVACKgBGAs/s200/IMG_1346.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><b>For the pastry</b><br />225g cold unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces<br />350g plain flour<br />50g icing sugar<br />1 large egg yolk (save the white for brushing the pastry)<br /><br /><b>For the filling</b><br />1kg plums (Victoria or Excalibar plums are delicious if you can find them), halved, stoned, then halved again<br />100g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling<br />2 tsp cornflour<br />1 tbsp ground almonds or fine polenta<br />1 tsp almond extract<br />200g marzipan, chopped into 1½ cm cubes<br />egg white, for brushing (reserved from making the pastry)<br />cream or ice cream, to serve<br /><br /><b>Method</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ol><li>Put the butter and flour in a food processor with 1/4 tsp salt and blend until the mixture resembles damp breadcrumbs.&nbsp; Or do this by rubbing the butter and flour together in a big bowl with your fingertips. (Or you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment).&nbsp; Add the sugar and stir to combine.</li><li>Whisk the egg yolk with 2 tbsp ice cold water and drizzle over the flour mixture.&nbsp; Stir with a knife to blend the mixture until it starts to form larger clumps.&nbsp; If the mixture is too dry add a little more water a tsp at a time.</li><li>Tip out onto a work surface and briefly knead the dough to bring it together as a smooth ball.&nbsp; Avoid overworking or it will become tough.&nbsp; Flatten the dough into a puck shape and wrap well in cling film.&nbsp; Chill for at least 30 mins, or for up to two days, or freeze for 2 months.</li><li>Tip the plum,s sugar and cornflour into a large pan and toss to coat.&nbsp; Simmer for 3-5mins stirring now and then, until the plums have just begun to soften.&nbsp; Tip them into a sieve suspended over a large bowl and leave for 30 mins&nbsp;- 1 hour stirring every 10mins, until the juice has all collected in the bowl.</li><li>Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 2 pieces, one slightly bigger than the other. Re-wrap the smaller piece of dough and set aside.&nbsp; On a lightly floured surface (or a piece of bake-o-glide, seriously nothing gets stuck to it!) roll out the dough to the thickness of a 50piece, or until large enough to line the base of your pie plate or tin, with a little pastry overhanging.&nbsp; Roll the dough on your rolling pin and lift onto the plate or tin and press it well into the corners.&nbsp; Scatter the almonds or polenta over the base.</li><li>Stir 2 tbsp of the strained plum juice and the almond extract into the plums.&nbsp; Spoon the filling into the pie dish, dotting the marzipan between the layers of plums as you go.&nbsp; Heat the oven to 190c/170c fan/ gas mark5 and place a baking sheet on the middle shelf.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yISAG7pFJDc/WiLP3cnpdOI/AAAAAAAAFD4/04I1Z4D66GkS-uZpr-rdh6TVtHx3SwlCwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yISAG7pFJDc/WiLP3cnpdOI/AAAAAAAAFD4/04I1Z4D66GkS-uZpr-rdh6TVtHx3SwlCwCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_1353.JPG" width="200" /></a></div></li><li>Top the pie with a lattice crust. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into 1.5cm wide strips.&nbsp; You can see step by step images on creating a lattice crust&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/plum-marzipan-pie">here</a>.&nbsp; First, arrange the pastry strips on top of your pie, with a small space between each one.&nbsp; Fold back alternate strips from the centre then lay a strip across the middle near the folds.&nbsp; Next flip the folded strips back to cover the middle pastry strip.&nbsp; Fold back the strips that are woven under the middle piece.&nbsp; Lay another strip across the middle and flip alternate strips back again.&nbsp; Repeat until you have a woven pattern.</li><li>Once covered, whisk the reserved egg white and brush over the pastry/&nbsp; Scatter with a little extra sugar and bake for 45 mins until golden and bubbling.&nbsp; Cool for 10mins before serving with cream or ice cream.</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYZnrjwBjMI/WiLQItya8JI/AAAAAAAAFEE/0LMP8nS-8Ko1m27qgIJNVoC0wppyr12VQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYZnrjwBjMI/WiLQItya8JI/AAAAAAAAFEE/0LMP8nS-8Ko1m27qgIJNVoC0wppyr12VQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1354.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>Now I must admit I got a bit of pastry shrinkage on baking, which probably means I added a bit too much water when making the dough.&nbsp; Also, the recipe does not chill the pastry once in the the dish, which I've seen recommended on other websites as helping to stabilise the dough.&nbsp; Next time I'll try this and hopefully get less shrinkage.&nbsp; But the pie tastes lovely and was definitely a successful attempt at sweet pastry.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-90142613468656307322017-11-27T13:16:00.002-08:002017-11-27T13:18:05.550-08:00Where have I been......well not on my blog.&nbsp; It's been a year since I last posted, because basically I haven't had anything I've felt like blogging about. Sadly, my mum has developed Alzheimer's disease, and so Dad and I are now caring for her pretty much 24/7, and I'm not going to lie it is really hard.&nbsp; Added to that, I've been put on steroids permanently now and they really don't do my mental health any favours.&nbsp; So there just hasn't been anything going on in my life that I felt like sharing as frankly it's all been a bit shit...&nbsp; However, I want to resurect my blog in some way or other, so watch this space for something happening, I'm not sure what yet, but it will hopefully be something amusing...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-7787808669272783502016-11-17T08:20:00.000-08:002016-11-17T08:40:11.339-08:00Wedding dress!This post may get a bit long, in fact 'm fairly sure it may end up being more than one post! &nbsp;It took ages for me to finally decide what I wanted to wear when I got married. &nbsp;Mainly because what was most important to me was that I felt like me. &nbsp;I went and tried loads of dresses on with my marvelous cousin Emma, and whilst it was great fun flouncing around in acres of satin and net, none of the dresses were right. I know some people have that 'moment' when they try on the perfect dress and fireworks burst over head, the orchestra plays and everything goes tra la, but I wasn't really expecting that to happen to me as I haven't known what I want to wear as a wedding dress since I was four! &nbsp; There were several ones that I really liked and if I could not sew then I might have gone with one. &nbsp;Over the years I have learnt what kind of dresses suit me and what styles I like; &nbsp;I am a big fan of 1930's evening wear a la Vionnet, Schiaparelli and the Fred and Ginger movies. I love the simple lines and elegance of this period of fashion and I'm lucky that being fairly skinny and flat chested, I can wear bias cut without worrying about bulges (too much!). &nbsp;From trying dresses on I also knew I wanted a cowl neck, as its very flattering to the less than amply endowed! &nbsp;Bias cutting is not my favorite thing when drafting patterns, the additional dimension of the stretch across the bias means you pretty much chuck out the usual rules for pattern drafting... So I decided to save myself a lot of time and swearing and check to see if any of the pattern companies had something similar that I could adapt. &nbsp;I was so lucky that Vogue had this pattern, V2965. &nbsp;It had all the main points, slightly 1930's feel, cowl neck and bias cut; the low back would also be approved of by my future husband ;-) <br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3PbxE1CpVW0/U8KWHsGNB1I/AAAAAAAACWs/N7UMVaPqMXM/s1600/V2965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3PbxE1CpVW0/U8KWHsGNB1I/AAAAAAAACWs/N7UMVaPqMXM/s1600/V2965.jpg" width="303" /></a>My fabric choice was kind of made for me, in that bias cut really only works in fabric that drapes beautifully and preferably is a natural not man-made fabric. Natural fibres have more stretch and every time I've made a bias cut dress, the silk ones just work better than the man made fabric. I did think about having a patterned fabric but in the end I opted for a rich, strong colour (being as pale as I am, white or ivory really don't suit me - unless dragged from the grave is a look you find attractive!). &nbsp;I found my material at the wonderful shop Borovicks on Berwick Sreet in Soho. &nbsp;I was originally looking for a pale blue, but the assistant showed me the peacock silk in the sunlight of the shop front and I was sold! &nbsp;There was also matching silk habotai for the lining and georgette for the detachable train.<br /><br />I followed the pattern pretty closely, marking the silk with thread tacks rather than chalk or carbon paper, so there would be no danger of it leaving marks and spoiling the dress. &nbsp;Vogue patterns have always been my favorite of the commercial brands as they always go together really well with no fudging to get marks and seams to match. &nbsp;My main deviation was the embroidery I designed to cover the top of the detachable train.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FAdcECFgm_E/U7asQ2VU1DI/AAAAAAAACWc/lYUcSSGQyS8/s640/blogger-image-1552330991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FAdcECFgm_E/U7asQ2VU1DI/AAAAAAAACWc/lYUcSSGQyS8/s320/blogger-image-1552330991.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bias cut layout.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-R9eWxBhqkbQ/U7asOfrx9XI/AAAAAAAACWM/eePO-9hj-Kk/s640/blogger-image-468444928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-R9eWxBhqkbQ/U7asOfrx9XI/AAAAAAAACWM/eePO-9hj-Kk/s320/blogger-image-468444928.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">many, many thread tacks!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Because the dress has a slight 1930's feel I wanted the beaded cover for the top of the train to have an art deco feel to it. &nbsp;The design is very geometric and was inspired by some architectural elements I found in one of my many art deco books. &nbsp;I used my embroidery machine to embroider a template to follow, then hand beaded all the gorgeous beads onto it by hand, &nbsp;They were a mixture of Swarovski crystals and silver lined teal Toho seed and bugle beads &nbsp;(I bought them from the marvelous online bead shop <a href="http://i-beads.co.uk/">I-beads</a>)&nbsp;. &nbsp;It took quite a long time to make but was definitely worth the effort. &nbsp;I made the motif as a seperate entity to the actual train so that you can wear the dress with the motif and the train, or just with the motif by itself.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-690A8yXt7ss/U7asP-pzvQI/AAAAAAAACWU/bSmP0GH07O0/s640/blogger-image--1713075156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-690A8yXt7ss/U7asP-pzvQI/AAAAAAAACWU/bSmP0GH07O0/s200/blogger-image--1713075156.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embroidered template</td></tr></tbody></table><div><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rft6iQ_BMtY/U7HdGDMBljI/AAAAAAAACVs/o6pxuYbc9EE/s640/blogger-image-2027961514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rft6iQ_BMtY/U7HdGDMBljI/AAAAAAAACVs/o6pxuYbc9EE/s200/blogger-image-2027961514.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8X51vbYL72A/U7HdJwTJAEI/AAAAAAAACV8/8ug0b5H_yhk/s640/blogger-image--166184439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8X51vbYL72A/U7HdJwTJAEI/AAAAAAAACV8/8ug0b5H_yhk/s200/blogger-image--166184439.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Nko5SnmDdjA/VxAgVuAeJ-I/AAAAAAAAC1M/JMSuEE-LBIQ/s640/blogger-image--434403135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Nko5SnmDdjA/VxAgVuAeJ-I/AAAAAAAAC1M/JMSuEE-LBIQ/s640/blogger-image--434403135.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kKsWlm0xrNM/VxAitL38avI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/1kmTOBn5qmE/s640/blogger-image--1202994337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kKsWlm0xrNM/VxAitL38avI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/1kmTOBn5qmE/s640/blogger-image--1202994337.jpg" /></a></div><br />The detachable train is a really lovely idea and I added some more beads over the chiffon for extra sparkle, cos you can never have too much sparkle! The pattern went together really easily with no problems matching up seams and markings. So thats it, the tale of my wedding dress. I'll finish with a couple more of PaulmWhite's wonderful photos.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tk4TsFI562o/WC3boVeaZoI/AAAAAAAADPY/WRvaAcCVfuwsjwMddS6urSkyWWfcL4rxwCEw/s1600/EVANS132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tk4TsFI562o/WC3boVeaZoI/AAAAAAAADPY/WRvaAcCVfuwsjwMddS6urSkyWWfcL4rxwCEw/s320/EVANS132.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdT0FaN93y4/WC3dGkZu9fI/AAAAAAAADPg/TNy9zZogSzc3Py5Y-waRrrUp6mnCz8XrwCLcB/s1600/EVANS314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdT0FaN93y4/WC3dGkZu9fI/AAAAAAAADPg/TNy9zZogSzc3Py5Y-waRrrUp6mnCz8XrwCLcB/s320/EVANS314.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-39041418285137801752016-07-12T13:14:00.001-07:002016-07-14T09:38:47.465-07:00Throwback Thursday<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">These are some fabulous pictures that Alex Beckett (photographer extraordinaire) took of Lizzie Cooper, Ruby Lorcan and I a couple of years back. &nbsp;We had such fun modelling my hats and Alex did a fantastic job creating such atmospheric shots- enjoy!&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--T2it9AmvqM/V4VQxlqG9EI/AAAAAAAAC2s/BOxgNs99OA0/s640/blogger-image--921990863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--T2it9AmvqM/V4VQxlqG9EI/AAAAAAAAC2s/BOxgNs99OA0/s640/blogger-image--921990863.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1U-pWTlWvwk/V4VQ2oHTkHI/AAAAAAAAC28/PRHLIV7yl_I/s640/blogger-image--129397356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1U-pWTlWvwk/V4VQ2oHTkHI/AAAAAAAAC28/PRHLIV7yl_I/s640/blogger-image--129397356.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8iKvMnRJyjA/V4VQ1VyVR3I/AAAAAAAAC24/WpixqP1C_Ac/s640/blogger-image-473832536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8iKvMnRJyjA/V4VQ1VyVR3I/AAAAAAAAC24/WpixqP1C_Ac/s640/blogger-image-473832536.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IF8F2jNsJc8/V4VQ35jcoMI/AAAAAAAAC3A/UPy6m9aIt50/s640/blogger-image-406907918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IF8F2jNsJc8/V4VQ35jcoMI/AAAAAAAAC3A/UPy6m9aIt50/s640/blogger-image-406907918.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LTr-uoWtvns/V4VQvVwHo0I/AAAAAAAAC2k/TkKvOZ87sLg/s640/blogger-image--1738857572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LTr-uoWtvns/V4VQvVwHo0I/AAAAAAAAC2k/TkKvOZ87sLg/s640/blogger-image--1738857572.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NWju_x5iIO4/V4VQywhi13I/AAAAAAAAC2w/munalNbIwgU/s640/blogger-image-135481385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NWju_x5iIO4/V4VQywhi13I/AAAAAAAAC2w/munalNbIwgU/s640/blogger-image-135481385.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HPk62c66EEQ/V4VQ5BvG-BI/AAAAAAAAC3E/dX8JX-ps7dw/s640/blogger-image-448920048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HPk62c66EEQ/V4VQ5BvG-BI/AAAAAAAAC3E/dX8JX-ps7dw/s640/blogger-image-448920048.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5gPvXjMGuhA/V4VQ0bO8utI/AAAAAAAAC20/ug98zGRWlhQ/s640/blogger-image-8208612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5gPvXjMGuhA/V4VQ0bO8utI/AAAAAAAAC20/ug98zGRWlhQ/s640/blogger-image-8208612.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZP2EngGsODo/V4VQwpo7uOI/AAAAAAAAC2o/y_6D_qQhD2A/s640/blogger-image-1598054355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZP2EngGsODo/V4VQwpo7uOI/AAAAAAAAC2o/y_6D_qQhD2A/s640/blogger-image-1598054355.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7Pv5C7_tG4k/V4VPmt-tJsI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/l1urQSX0VH8/s640/blogger-image-2145898786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7Pv5C7_tG4k/V4VPmt-tJsI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/l1urQSX0VH8/s640/blogger-image-2145898786.jpg"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-4297683821176871182016-04-19T10:07:00.001-07:002016-04-19T12:23:06.331-07:00Catching up<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I've been on a blogging break of late- I've not really been up to anything particularly interesting for a while in sewing terms and I've had a lot of anxiety and stress with starting to consider transplant. &nbsp;If I'm honest the transplant issue has rather knocked me for six and totally shaken my confidence, so blogging and a lot of other things have rather gone by the wayside. &nbsp;However, I've got a couple of things to post about now so it's time for a quick catch up. &nbsp;The first are a couple of hats I made for an old friend Martin who I used to do costume work for back in the day. &nbsp;He was designing a production of Urinetown in Norwich and wanted a couple of steampunky mini top hats. &nbsp;I really enjoyed making these and it was really nice to get some hatting done again. &nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qvU2JPh92hU/VxaFBvr4xfI/AAAAAAAAC1w/Amx1KY7vwW4/s640/blogger-image--290285724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qvU2JPh92hU/VxaFBvr4xfI/AAAAAAAAC1w/Amx1KY7vwW4/s640/blogger-image--290285724.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Na6PWa2nW-4/VxaE_STS2sI/AAAAAAAAC1s/GNjt8JkpsME/s640/blogger-image--2043108420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Na6PWa2nW-4/VxaE_STS2sI/AAAAAAAAC1s/GNjt8JkpsME/s640/blogger-image--2043108420.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I've also been doing some more embroidery recently, as my beautiful Brother V3 has Ben sitting idle for ages and needs some more use. &nbsp;I'm currently working on some cherry blossom designs to go on a kimono style jacket, these are my first sew out on some old silk crepe-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zl63DU7f4RU/VxaFDIzzx9I/AAAAAAAAC10/BGFyi641B4Q/s640/blogger-image--163732709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zl63DU7f4RU/VxaFDIzzx9I/AAAAAAAAC10/BGFyi641B4Q/s640/blogger-image--163732709.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-78sbM8G8NGc/VxaE9hdyH5I/AAAAAAAAC1o/HnGLAWEom5c/s640/blogger-image--674106344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-78sbM8G8NGc/VxaE9hdyH5I/AAAAAAAAC1o/HnGLAWEom5c/s640/blogger-image--674106344.jpg"></a></div>I'm pleased with how they turned out, they need a little bit of adjustment with which stabiliser I use to eliminate all the wrinkles. &nbsp;So hopefully I'll be doing lots more embroidery to actually have something worthwhile to blog about:-)&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-68968734070510554092015-11-17T09:43:00.003-08:002015-11-17T09:43:39.392-08:00Limoncello, another cookbook used!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WH80-DSS7yE/Vktjhxl0ugI/AAAAAAAACzc/8XXWZiIJ4WU/s640/blogger-image--1816306807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both;">In my continuing quest to use my cookbook collection properly I finally tried a recipe from <i>Gifts from the Kitchen</i>. &nbsp;I bought this book before Christmas a couple of years ago, with the intention of making gifts for family and friends. As usual my health had other ideas, and whilst I've read all the recipes, I never managed to actually make one. However, with Christmas coming again, I decided to try out the limoncello recipe. I doubled the amount tho, so that if it's any good I can keep a bottle for us!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jyPtdx0eXls/Vktjq6p10rI/AAAAAAAAC0E/OrKXcMXUMwk/s640/blogger-image-977651683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jyPtdx0eXls/Vktjq6p10rI/AAAAAAAAC0E/OrKXcMXUMwk/s200/blogger-image-977651683.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WH80-DSS7yE/Vktjhxl0ugI/AAAAAAAACzc/8XXWZiIJ4WU/s1600/blogger-image--1816306807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WH80-DSS7yE/Vktjhxl0ugI/AAAAAAAACzc/8XXWZiIJ4WU/s200/blogger-image--1816306807.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It's a very simple &nbsp;procedure, you peal a dozen lemons of their rind and then boil that and the juice of the lemons in a sugar syrup for a quarter of an hour.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZAAzwIC2mxM/VktjpK0O1II/AAAAAAAACz8/9EBbavnLhpk/s640/blogger-image-66190805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZAAzwIC2mxM/VktjpK0O1II/AAAAAAAACz8/9EBbavnLhpk/s200/blogger-image-66190805.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many lemons</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7UXrqgkoowo/Vktjf5-yXPI/AAAAAAAACzU/axe24KWb1EA/s640/blogger-image-1870139680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7UXrqgkoowo/Vktjf5-yXPI/AAAAAAAACzU/axe24KWb1EA/s200/blogger-image-1870139680.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naked lemons!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div>The juicing of the lemons was made infinitely easier by our marvelous gadget which we call the lemon inverter, as basically you pop half a lemon in the press and squeeze the two halves together and ta-da, one inside out lemon half and all the juice in the pan. It helps having a strong husband on hand as well!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tp2-oi0ZiXA/VktjlY5lV8I/AAAAAAAACzs/Vb4uLY3MOQg/s640/blogger-image--462634660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tp2-oi0ZiXA/VktjlY5lV8I/AAAAAAAACzs/Vb4uLY3MOQg/s200/blogger-image--462634660.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-funVhN5xDZw/VktjjoQwFLI/AAAAAAAACzk/SXagJ8wfHQI/s640/blogger-image-155543174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-funVhN5xDZw/VktjjoQwFLI/AAAAAAAACzk/SXagJ8wfHQI/s200/blogger-image-155543174.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F1QXZdo_L6s/VktjnJXDzjI/AAAAAAAACz0/2ZiQREM91Nk/s640/blogger-image--1682654212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F1QXZdo_L6s/VktjnJXDzjI/AAAAAAAACz0/2ZiQREM91Nk/s200/blogger-image--1682654212.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As you boil the syrup it gradually darkens to a lovely rich orange. Once it's simmered for 15 minutes or so you decant it into a Kilner jar, or other sterilised sealable vessel and add a large amount of vodka. You then leave it alone to mature for a month or so and hopefully it will taste delicious when we try it out. &nbsp;I'll let you know how it turns out...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GR1D8AnryjM/Vj5YNrLHFDI/AAAAAAAACzA/ZNV40ctMSws/s640/blogger-image--1543774893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GR1D8AnryjM/Vj5YNrLHFDI/AAAAAAAACzA/ZNV40ctMSws/s200/blogger-image--1543774893.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of potential Limoncello :-)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-18331115151204147392015-11-02T06:32:00.002-08:002015-11-06T07:32:02.556-08:00Toffee nut slices and a disaster possibly averted!!<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D8sza3fpcec/VjZDQwXMXCI/AAAAAAAACyA/j9yejmSZUOM/s640/blogger-image--1725309120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D8sza3fpcec/VjZDQwXMXCI/AAAAAAAACyA/j9yejmSZUOM/s1600/blogger-image--1725309120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D8sza3fpcec/VjZDQwXMXCI/AAAAAAAACyA/j9yejmSZUOM/s200/blogger-image--1725309120.jpg" width="150" /></a>So, in my attempt to start using my cook bools properly I decided to start with one of my least used purchases- Peyton and Byrne's British Baking. &nbsp;It's a beautifully illustrated edition and contains a selection of recipes from tea breads to classic British puddings, and its purple my favorite colour so of course I got sucked in by amazon and bought it at least three years ago! (It's still available at amazon&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Baking-Oliver-Peyton/dp/0224086618/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1446398367&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=peyton+and+byrne">here</a>). &nbsp;And I'm afraid I've only ever used one recipe for Lemon Possett, and that works really well, so I had high hopes for the Toffee Nut Slices recipe. &nbsp;The recipe combines two of my favorite things- nuts and toffee (obviously!).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cg3ixctgkpM/VjZDScQw2pI/AAAAAAAACyI/jWII94KQ7Hw/s640/blogger-image--1068250362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cg3ixctgkpM/VjZDScQw2pI/AAAAAAAACyI/jWII94KQ7Hw/s200/blogger-image--1068250362.jpg" width="200" /></a>See how gorgeous the illustrations are. &nbsp;You start the slices by making a fairly basic buiscuit base from butteer sugar and flour. This was one of my problems with this recipe, I used the exact tin specified and I ended up with a very thick base, much more so that pictured, I personally wold prefer a thinner base. so next time I will reduce the biscuit amount. &nbsp;But that's just a little nigggle!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_pJuENhe_eQ/VjZBXwD8iYI/AAAAAAAACxM/dsIeDqVAWAM/s640/blogger-image-745000506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_pJuENhe_eQ/VjZBXwD8iYI/AAAAAAAACxM/dsIeDqVAWAM/s200/blogger-image-745000506.jpg" width="200" /></a>You start by toasting the nuts on the oven, watching them like a hawk as they can go from toasted to chared in a very short time! This also makes your kitchen smell amazing...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DBN_tPVgHs4/VjZDN6TAlkI/AAAAAAAACxw/X_RHKFZAmHA/s640/blogger-image--555239567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DBN_tPVgHs4/VjZDN6TAlkI/AAAAAAAACxw/X_RHKFZAmHA/s200/blogger-image--555239567.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Once they are toasted and cool you rub them gently between your hands to remove any remaining skin- a surpriing amount of it comes off and would have not have enhanced the end result.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z-kohjPVDfE/VjZBcFNG_JI/AAAAAAAACxk/Ky3gnLFVgig/s640/blogger-image-2030841586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z-kohjPVDfE/VjZBcFNG_JI/AAAAAAAACxk/Ky3gnLFVgig/s200/blogger-image-2030841586.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once you've done the nuts you start on the toffee. &nbsp;Now, as always be very careful when dealing with boiling sugar as it's very, very hot and easy to burn yourself! Also, it's wise to have any things that will be added to the sugar, in this case butter and cream, measured and ready to add, as trying to faff with scales whilst your toffee burns is not a happy thing! I had another problem here in that the amount of water used to dissolve the sugar is really small and as my sugar just about to burn a crisp, I added a couple of tablespoons of extra boiling water to get it to melt properly. &nbsp;In all my other cookbooks that deal with toffee making, there is always more water in the recipe for a similar amount of sugar, so I would have some boiling water on had just in case your sugar starts to catch rather than melt. &nbsp;Practicing making toffee is going to be something I need to do to avoid burnt sugar!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Pbsk0xGozU8/VjZDTpcVeyI/AAAAAAAACyQ/kLf90qea0Fk/s640/blogger-image-463637292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Pbsk0xGozU8/VjZDTpcVeyI/AAAAAAAACyQ/kLf90qea0Fk/s200/blogger-image-463637292.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V3lyWtUaXXY/VjZDPZcq1KI/AAAAAAAACx4/DY4hvvY8Rr0/s1600/blogger-image--1032461666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V3lyWtUaXXY/VjZDPZcq1KI/AAAAAAAACx4/DY4hvvY8Rr0/s200/blogger-image--1032461666.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V3lyWtUaXXY/VjZDPZcq1KI/AAAAAAAACx4/DY4hvvY8Rr0/s1600/blogger-image--1032461666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />This recipe does not use a sugar thermometer to make the toffe, but instead relies on you judging the colour of the toffee-living dangerously or what! &nbsp;And this is where disaster struck... &nbsp;Whilst trying to take an action shot of stirring the toffee, I dropped my Iphone into the saucepan of boiling toffee...! I am blaming this on the fact that I am taking steroids at the moment so am rather jittery... that's my story and I'm sticking to it. &nbsp;Fortunately Mr EB was there to help me fish it out and saved the day my cleaning it up and somehow neither of us got scalded by the hot sugar! &nbsp;Even more Amazing is the fact that the phone still works!!! Totally gobsmacked by that!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eWoM9SFLoWg/VjZBZZlgUhI/AAAAAAAACxU/ILjsTUktVjA/s640/blogger-image-1607756820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eWoM9SFLoWg/VjZBZZlgUhI/AAAAAAAACxU/ILjsTUktVjA/s200/blogger-image-1607756820.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Att-bx9q3Qw/VjZBa0s2LcI/AAAAAAAACxc/BWBAe3_I_u8/s640/blogger-image-1241664541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Att-bx9q3Qw/VjZBa0s2LcI/AAAAAAAACxc/BWBAe3_I_u8/s200/blogger-image-1241664541.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />So after the little toffee apple &nbsp;diversion, I added the nuts to the toffee and spread it onto the cooled biscuit base, and then bunged it in the oven for its final bake.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LKIug83YNkU/VjdjuKY7zyI/AAAAAAAACyg/rJp6EE_Eu38/s640/blogger-image--519067232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LKIug83YNkU/VjdjuKY7zyI/AAAAAAAACyg/rJp6EE_Eu38/s200/blogger-image--519067232.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kBXrIi6SBPE/VjdjxZa6s8I/AAAAAAAACyw/SKeGCyF0Gkk/s640/blogger-image-994884297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kBXrIi6SBPE/VjdjxZa6s8I/AAAAAAAACyw/SKeGCyF0Gkk/s200/blogger-image-994884297.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Once cooled, you chop it into slices and attempt not to eat all of it in one go. &nbsp;It's a really moreish, but very sweet treat. &nbsp;I will definitely be trying this recipe again, despite one or two little niggles with the recipe, it produces excellent results, I'll also be trying more P&amp;B recipes to see if they are consistently this good. &nbsp;One cookbook almost properly used!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k1eAKOnkvuY/VjdjvjI6R_I/AAAAAAAACyo/30-SDS0nyHE/s640/blogger-image--110532584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k1eAKOnkvuY/VjdjvjI6R_I/AAAAAAAACyo/30-SDS0nyHE/s200/blogger-image--110532584.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-16522396811377532962015-10-31T05:00:00.001-07:002015-11-06T07:31:51.075-08:00Books, books, books!The time has come to admit I have a problem. &nbsp;My problem is common in my family, we have an obsession with books. &nbsp;I'm not just a bibliophile, my problem is more of an obsession with collecting books, I would say I'm a bibliomaniac! &nbsp;I'm fairly certain it's genetic and I get it from both parents, so I was always doomed to love and adore books. &nbsp;Whilst studying for my music degree I would source and horde books relevant (and not so relevant) to my subjects and spend more on my books than normal student purchases such as booze. &nbsp;When I got really into sewing costumes my obsession moved onto fashion history and museum catalogues from the V&amp;A filled with fabulous pictures and patterns that I could drool over when I should have been studying! &nbsp;Getting into. RADA just validated my need for more sewing books and my problem only got more pronounced the more I read and bought. &nbsp;Amazon has a lot to blame from my problem, they make it so easy and simple to just buy, buy, buy, with a single click and then the next gorgeous tome arrives within 24hours. &nbsp;Yes I know Amazon is a dreadful, tax dodging corporate giant, but I'm only human and I have to have my book fix! &nbsp;My sewing and costume collection now tops a hundred, wonderful volumes that keep me happy for hours. I've even started a catalogue so that I know what I have and what areas need more attention- I'd also love to get book plates made so my collection is obviously all mine- mwahahaha! (Maniacal book loving laugh)<br /><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k9Ozx_k4Sl8/VjSsmOMhGRI/AAAAAAAACxA/UNAMq19TwxY/s640/blogger-image-304141150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k9Ozx_k4Sl8/VjSsmOMhGRI/AAAAAAAACxA/UNAMq19TwxY/s320/blogger-image-304141150.jpg" width="320" /></a>My other guilty book mania focuses on cookery books. &nbsp;I am a total addict and always fall for a beautiful book of glorious photos, without really paying attention to the recipes. &nbsp;I have loads piled high in the kitchen and it's getting to be a problem. &nbsp;But I have admitted I have a problem, and that is apparently the first step on the road to recovery-although to be honest I'm not sure I want to recover as I love my books and no one is getting them off me! However, it does seem silly that I have all these cookbooks which do get read a lot, but I haven't actually tried the recipes out, which is their purpose after all. &nbsp;My sewing books get read and the patterns and techniques used a lot, not so much now my health is poor but they have all had a good use, so I don't feel so bad about them. &nbsp;But I know that some of my recipe books may have had only one recipe used from them, or sometimes none at all! &nbsp;So before I'm allowed to buy more recipe books, I have to properly use the ones I have... I should also use some of the stacks of cooking magazines that I've also accumulated over the years. I'm nearly as bad at hoarding them as I am recipe books! &nbsp;So out with the baking tins and mixer it's time to bake and cook- watch this space for my attempts to justify my cookbook bibliomania!&nbsp;</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-52101395674032237292015-09-21T14:05:00.003-07:002015-09-21T14:05:22.929-07:00The Solace of Stitching or How to Preserve your Sanity one Stitch at a Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One thing that no one tells you about having a chronic illness is how much of your personality it eats away. &nbsp;So many of the things that have defined my life (playing the flute, singing in choirs, dancing etc etc) &nbsp;are now basically impossible, so I've been trying to find some relief in the things that I can still manage. These are mainly characterised by being hand work, such as crochet and hand sewing my hats. &nbsp;The state of my health has caused me some pretty big bouts of depression and anxiety (fairly understandable when confronted with the need for a double lung transplant!) &nbsp;but being able to pick up a crochet project or hat and feel the rhythm of the stitches as I form them is incredibly soothing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--sg_AjEMfKA/Vfw25iKXohI/AAAAAAAACwI/mWYpQr4JNQU/s640/blogger-image--706447230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--sg_AjEMfKA/Vfw25iKXohI/AAAAAAAACwI/mWYpQr4JNQU/s200/blogger-image--706447230.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />When my mind is in a tumultuous mess, the repetitive nature of crochet and sewing calms me in a way that some people compare to meditation. I have tried Mindfulness Meditation as recommended by my psychologist, and I have found it helpful. &nbsp;The main problem I have with it, is that it mostly focuses on using your breathing as a way of centering your thoughts in the present and not worrying about the future or the past. &nbsp;I can see how this can work but when your breathing is a massive problem, focusing on it just makes me more stressed, not less! So sometimes what I need most is a task that prevents my mind worrying endlessly about all the stuff that is driving me nuts. Crochet and hand sewing hats takes enough thought and concentration that it prevents the endless spiral of depressive thoughts that are so easy to slip into. &nbsp;I really do find a great deal of solace in stitching, and its not just me- a quick search on the Internet shows how many people have found relief from mental health issues using knitting, crochet, embroidery or other hand crafts as a form of meditation, for example <a href="http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/health-therapeutic">this article</a>&nbsp;from the Craft Yarn Council has numerous exampes of knitting being used as therapy for the seriously ill. &nbsp;So it's not just me!<br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-amOIUlgm0O0/Vfw23UZ1XLI/AAAAAAAACwA/T7rpelPTq5I/s640/blogger-image-1983798642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-amOIUlgm0O0/Vfw23UZ1XLI/AAAAAAAACwA/T7rpelPTq5I/s200/blogger-image-1983798642.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Another thing no one tells you about chronic illness is how it can leave you feeling out of control. &nbsp;I find this particularly hard as CF or not, I like to know what is happening in my life and that I have a plan of what I ant to happen and how I'm going to get there. Sadly, n many ways it feels like the illness is in control, because you always have to take into account all the extra stuff that having something like CF entails. &nbsp;You can't just decide for example, to go out to the cinema, you have to consider if you are up to going there, can manage the air con in the cinema (it can really set off a niggling cough) &nbsp;have you got all the meds you need to have with you have you &nbsp;got your insulin and diabetic contraptions and so on and so on and so on.... I'm not saying it's impossible to do things, you just have to be incredibly organised and know that there are these controlling factors to pretty much every decision you make. &nbsp;I really don't like that my CF makes me feel that <i>it</i> is control and I am not (understatement alert!). &nbsp;I'm not saying that healthy people are always in total control of their lives, but they can be pretty certain that if you do (A) then the outcome will be (B). &nbsp;When you add chronic illness into the equation doing &nbsp;(A) &nbsp;may sometimes result in (B) &nbsp;but its more likely to end up being anything from (C) to (the square root of five) and anything you can imagine in between. With something like CF at the stage I am at, you can plan and prepare all you like, but inevitably your body decides to throw a hissy fit and suddenly all bets are off. &nbsp;I hate that one day I'll feel ok (at least ok my standards!) and I'll be able to do something simple like having dinner with friends and the next I can barely get out of bed cos I've got a raging temperature and I'm trying to breathe through treacle- I really cant express how frustrating this is and how angry it makes me.<br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vFmr3MZWB0c/Vfw2znFkKBI/AAAAAAAACv4/rpScuFwQ808/s640/blogger-image-324658000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vFmr3MZWB0c/Vfw2znFkKBI/AAAAAAAACv4/rpScuFwQ808/s200/blogger-image-324658000.jpg" width="200" /></a>Crocheting and sewing gives me some semblance of control back, I can still do these things, the way I want and and my CF can just sod off! &nbsp;This gives me a great deal of satisfaction, however simple and small the project may be, its still mine. &nbsp; When everyday tasks feel like insurmountable problems, actually making something from start to finish really does help prevent the feelings of &nbsp;being out of control, of inadequacy and uselessness that having CF can create. &nbsp;I frequently feel that I am just a huge burden on Mr EB and my family and friends. &nbsp;They have never given me any reason to think that, but it's hard not to feel that way when you need so much help to do things that everyone else takes for granted. &nbsp;To try and help asuage these feelings I have been searching online for articles and books that might help me learn to deal with these difficulties in a more proactive way. &nbsp;One book that I absolutely adore is Ruby Wax's Sane New World. &nbsp;Not only is it hilariously funny in its explanation of Wax's own metal health problems, but it includes lots of exercises based upon mindfullness, that are easy and simple to do. <br /><br />Another really interesting <a href="http://www.alpineguild.com/COPING%20WITH%20CHRONIC%20ILLNESS.html">article</a>&nbsp;that &nbsp;found online is by Dr JoAnn LeMaistre, all about Coping with Chronic Illness. It's actually a shortened version of a book of the same title, which is sadly out of print, but despite its relatiely short length it is a really helpful read. &nbsp;She talks in depth about setting realistic expectations of what you can achieve and trying to live in the present. &nbsp;If you have a chronic illness I seriously recommend reading her article, as it really does cover loads of helpful ways to cope with your reduced health. &nbsp;So until I either get listed for tranplant, or by some miracle a treatment does become available for my genotype I shall be crocheting and sewing myself into some sense of sanity! &nbsp;If you'd like to see some of my crochet projects, do check out my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Rosaerona">projects page</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;Ravelry.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-61440288007091825042015-07-17T07:33:00.001-07:002015-09-21T14:06:53.268-07:001940's Style Crocheted Turban<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E8z6tSV4TIc/VaPabmcc1FI/AAAAAAAACtY/CnGI8a_M8YQ/s1600/We_Can_Do_It%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">N<img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E8z6tSV4TIc/VaPabmcc1FI/AAAAAAAACtY/CnGI8a_M8YQ/s320/We_Can_Do_It%2521.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>When I was lindy hopping regularly, and doing a lot of historical re-enactment events, I often wished that I had a crocheted head scarf to wrap up my hair and look so effortlessly chic. &nbsp;I've never managed to get the hang of 1940's victory rolls and up dos, probably because my hair is very fine and slippy so even my hair dresser had trouble with it putting up for my wedding. &nbsp;In fact, I resorted to buying a swatch of extra hair so that I had enough on the day to actually get some volume! &nbsp;The other main issue is that I am far too inpatient to do a proper hair set which is pretty vital to getting an authentic vintage look that will last more than five minutes. &nbsp;Women working in munitions factories or other manual work during WWII usually wore their hair up and covered with a scarf to prevent it getting caught in things and getting very dirty. Rosie the Riveter is probably the most famous head scarf wearing image of the day and I have a couple of spotted kerchiefs that I wear around the house- especially when steaming hats. &nbsp;I've always fancied the somewhat fancier looking crocheted ones, patterns for which were often advertised in contemporary magazines.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4SnjWiSDoUE/VaPeCLIJJ9I/AAAAAAAACtw/waX7N0snHQk/s1600/turban2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4SnjWiSDoUE/VaPeCLIJJ9I/AAAAAAAACtw/waX7N0snHQk/s320/turban2.jpg" width="226" /></a>I found the page on the left on Pinterest, but sadly the link to the original source no longer works,. I've cut and pasted it here, and if you zoom in you can just about read the pattern, which sadly turns out to be for a knitted jumper which must be on the next page of the magazine. &nbsp;It does have little diagrams illustrating how to tie it, which come in useful later, and shows just how elegant these headscarves can be.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9e9qAt-hOc/VaPcUZsjWNI/AAAAAAAACtk/thhXDEWnkUc/s1600/turban1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9e9qAt-hOc/VaPcUZsjWNI/AAAAAAAACtk/thhXDEWnkUc/s1600/turban1.gif" /></a><br />I found this next&nbsp;<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20001026154905/www.cei.net/~vchisam/hats/turban2607.html">pattern</a>&nbsp;on Ravelry, another online community to which I am sadly addicted! (If you happen to be a member, my username is Rosaerona, if you'd like to see my other crocheting projects) It was created by The Spool Company, published in 1942, and makes a very fetching striped turban . It is made from a very simple mesh pattern created from treble crochet and chains (uk terms) in alternating colour rows - they suggest red, green, white and yellow, which is not a colour combination that I would go for! I used this pattern as the basis for my headscarf, but I made a slight change to the edge so that short edges are square not slightly tapering. &nbsp;Not that once you've tied it you can tell because the ends are all tucked in. &nbsp;I made my two coloured scarf in Ella Rae Cozy Bamboo, in pale blue and teal. It's a lovely, soft and squashy dk yarn made from 80%bamboo and 20% wool. &nbsp;Fortunately for me the bamboo content it large enough that the wool doesn't set of my usual itching to it... I used two balls of each colour to make a headscarf 127x22cm (50x8.5inches)<br /><br />To make a two coloured stripe scarf, using DK weight yarn and 4mm crochet hook -<br /><br /><ul><li>Chain 220 in colour A, or however many <b>even</b> number of chains it takes you to make 127cm/50inches of chain</li><li>Row 1 &nbsp;Chain 4 (counts as 1tr and 1 chain), tr in 6 chain from hook, chain 1, *skip one chain 1tr in next chain, &nbsp;reeat from * until you have used all the base chain. Fasten off</li><li>Row 2. Join colour B in first treble of row 1, chain 3 (equals first tr) then tr in first chain space of previous row, then chain 1. &nbsp;Or you could usee a standing treble to begin the row (brilliant tutorial&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mooglyblog.com/standing-double-crochet-joining/">here</a>&nbsp;on this technique, called standing double in USA terms), then tr in first chain space of previous row then chain 1.</li><li>*Tr in next chain space of previous row, chain 1, repeat from * all the way along working tr in chain spaces, &nbsp;work an extra final treble in the last treble of the previous row</li><li>Repeat rows 1-2 until the piece is 22cm/8.5 inches wide. &nbsp;This means all odd rows start and end with one treble and all even rows have two tr stitches at the beginning and end of the row, &nbsp;</li></ul><div>The easiest way to explain this pattern for me is this diagram of a sample of the mesh pattern which I made. I couldn't find a symbol for a standing treble crochet so I've used the usual chain 3 at the start of each row instead. Sorry its a little scrappy but I think you should get the idea-</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TuEAnOQjDjk/VakPCCdgYeI/AAAAAAAACuk/25HOvBZM_OI/s640/blogger-image-2104301068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TuEAnOQjDjk/VakPCCdgYeI/AAAAAAAACuk/25HOvBZM_OI/s640/blogger-image-2104301068.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>You could make all sorts of variations on this headscarf, you could omit the colour changes and just turn at the end of each row in a single colour, or you could use more colours, or its easy to make it bigger or smaller, just adjust the length of your base chain and make as many rows as you need. &nbsp;I'm going to try a plain one next. &nbsp;I tend to tie mine in the way pictured on the first pattern, with the knot at the front and the ends tucked in. To do this you centre the scarf at the back of your head, so the middle of the long side of the scarf is at the base of your head. &nbsp;Then bring the two ends forward and tie it at the centre of your forehead in a square knot (right over left, then left over right). &nbsp;You then tuck the ends left into the part that is wrapped around your head and voila- effortless chic and a great way to cover up less than perfect hair, as can be seem from this rather awful photo of me taken wearing my scarf during my last hospital admission!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KjGUpQZmXcE/VakEB91Oy7I/AAAAAAAACuY/0uRn50ODHn8/s1600/2015-07-17%2B14.02.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KjGUpQZmXcE/VakEB91Oy7I/AAAAAAAACuY/0uRn50ODHn8/s320/2015-07-17%2B14.02.26.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little bit drugged up, but at least my hair is under control!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WJZ_oasYP3k/Vaj-c8Hd1zI/AAAAAAAACuE/OzABfUWUpPQ/s640/blogger-image--644624167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WJZ_oasYP3k/Vaj-c8Hd1zI/AAAAAAAACuE/OzABfUWUpPQ/s320/blogger-image--644624167.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-36791018867961197582015-07-10T09:21:00.000-07:002015-07-10T09:21:57.803-07:00Historical Sew Monthly- June. Out of your comfort zone<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qRcyA52m-J8/VXr84UtdS4I/AAAAAAAACpo/4OcORVqZGo4/s640/blogger-image-349002855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qRcyA52m-J8/VXr84UtdS4I/AAAAAAAACpo/4OcORVqZGo4/s640/blogger-image-349002855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Yes I know I'm late but I've been in and out of Papworth both as an inpatient and an out patient and deadlines have rather gone out of the window. I'm actually finishing this post from Papworth as my stupid lungs have landed me back here again... Oh well, I did just about manage to cobble together something for the June challenge, and I did not want to miss it completely. My May challenge will get finished when I can get home and get back to my sewing machine... Currently it's only pinned together....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So anyway, June in the HSM is Out of your comfort zone, a perfect excuse for me to finally try blocking straw. &nbsp;Despite having made loads of hats I've never blocked a straw hat from sctatch. &nbsp;One reason is that we didn't cover straw blocking at RADA and straw hoods are actually pretty expensive so I have always balked a bit at spending on something I might totally screw up! Also, due to my rubbish health I cant get to take all the millinery classes I'd like, so I've always wimped out of trying straw. However, with a lot of reading up (see bibliography at the bottom) and researching on the net it seemed that blocking straw is not any more complicated than blocking felt so I bit the bullet ordered myself a very nice pink parasisal cone and jumped in. &nbsp;My inspiration for my hat is a charming cloche hat from the V&amp;A made by Kilin Ltd c.1925-</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWe3cWY9eqo/VYvUdUVVxrI/AAAAAAAACrE/bWFVCFOQ01U/s1600/kilpin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWe3cWY9eqo/VYvUdUVVxrI/AAAAAAAACrE/bWFVCFOQ01U/s320/kilpin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I''ve admired this hat for ages, it's such a classic 1920's shape, and the decoration is so pretty. Fortunately, I had a combination of hat blocks that could make a very similar shape, I use the multiblock system by the fantastic blockmaker&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hatblocks.co.uk/multiblocks/">Guy Morse Brown</a>, this lets you swap the brims and crowns about to get more shapes without having to buy new blocks for each hat.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qRcyA52m-J8/VXr84UtdS4I/AAAAAAAACpo/4OcORVqZGo4/s1600/blogger-image-349002855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qRcyA52m-J8/VXr84UtdS4I/AAAAAAAACpo/4OcORVqZGo4/s320/blogger-image-349002855.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>To block straw you only need to dampen the straw for it to become malleable. I sprayed the inside of the cone liberally with water and left it for a couple of minutes to soften then pulled it over the block. &nbsp;The straw cone will either have a cross or a button at the centre top- where the weaving process starts. &nbsp;Mine had a cross, which you want to centre on the top of the block with the X running at 45degrees to the centre line. This will give the maximum flexibility to the most curved areas of the block.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YLIl5pMQ4zk/VXr82VBcKcI/AAAAAAAACpg/KbtYoL6ptj4/s640/blogger-image-1935558962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YLIl5pMQ4zk/VXr82VBcKcI/AAAAAAAACpg/KbtYoL6ptj4/s320/blogger-image-1935558962.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cross running at 45 degrees</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you've centred the cone you then gently but firmly, pull the cone fully over the block and secure it with pins under the brim. You start by securing it at the CF and CB, then the two sides. Then pin half way between these four pins spreading the fullness even around the circumference.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j0K2EXge2OY/VXr80u42pXI/AAAAAAAACpY/tO7uh791O8U/s640/blogger-image-1531443970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j0K2EXge2OY/VXr80u42pXI/AAAAAAAACpY/tO7uh791O8U/s320/blogger-image-1531443970.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many, many pins</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a little weird seeing the way the straw moves and stretches as you pull it, because the straw has an clear weave its much more obvious how the fibres are adjusting-unlike felt where you really can't see the stretching at all. &nbsp;To ensure a snug fit around the join from crown to brim I used a wide elastic band to hold it in place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gYjXEC2JP_A/VXr86I5M0FI/AAAAAAAACpw/mMEOanj75Vk/s640/blogger-image--1615401244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gYjXEC2JP_A/VXr86I5M0FI/AAAAAAAACpw/mMEOanj75Vk/s320/blogger-image--1615401244.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Once the straw was dry I gave it a good iron to set the shape and try and get some creases out. Unfortunately the way it was posted left it very crumpled but I got the worse creases out. I then painted it with two coats of water based stiffiner- one inside and one outside. The finishing was then very similar to a felt or sinnamay hat- blanket stitch millinery wire round the brim edge and then cover that with petersham ribbon. To make the petersham conform closely to the curve of the brim I first pressed it in half along its length and then pressed it into a curve- this is often referred to as 'swirling' which I think sounds a lot more fun then it actually is! The decorative panel was created from more petersham and the flowers were made from felt off cuts. Sadly, I've not had time to fully secure the panel in place but I managed to get a few mock up shots done before I was dragged in to Papworth. They are not good pictures being taken with my iPhone in fairly rubbish light, but I really wanted to have something to share for once...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qG7r_ZT9GwI/VZ9-yhgrXyI/AAAAAAAACsY/2e2-ytrEOpE/s640/blogger-image-1207905631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qG7r_ZT9GwI/VZ9-yhgrXyI/AAAAAAAACsY/2e2-ytrEOpE/s320/blogger-image-1207905631.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--D06IvQz04k/VZ-BRTM-61I/AAAAAAAACss/4Hw4T-rsnK8/s640/blogger-image-724928611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--D06IvQz04k/VZ-BRTM-61I/AAAAAAAACss/4Hw4T-rsnK8/s320/blogger-image-724928611.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5dxEJHiCoXk/VZ-BPfh6YZI/AAAAAAAACsk/4P9SuJWK9EE/s640/blogger-image--223789615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5dxEJHiCoXk/VZ-BPfh6YZI/AAAAAAAACsk/4P9SuJWK9EE/s320/blogger-image--223789615.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DjMO9cWPC3I/VZ_w2SuDzpI/AAAAAAAACtE/utQ-I_nRRAo/s640/blogger-image-940541292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DjMO9cWPC3I/VZ_w2SuDzpI/AAAAAAAACtE/utQ-I_nRRAo/s320/blogger-image-940541292.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think I made the panel too big if I'm honest and may change it in the future to something I'm more likely to wear as I'm really pleased with the basic straw cloche part, although I need to get some more creases out next time. No longer shall I be afraid of straw and next time I'll buy an even nicer one!&nbsp;</div><br /><b>The Challenge: </b>June- Out of your comfort zone<br /><b>Fabric- </b>Parasisal straw cone, petersham, felt<br /><b>Pattern- </b>Hatblocks from Guy Morse Brown<br /><b>Year- </b>1919<br /><b>Notions- </b>Thread<br /><b>How Historically accurate it it? </b>Some of the felt is not 100%wool so not period accurate-90%<br /><b>Hours to complete: </b>Approx 10 hours exclusive of drying time<br /><b>First worn: </b>Not worn yet as I'm stuck in hospital....sigh...<br /><b>Total cost: </b>Straw Cone £23.26, Petersham £4.50, rest from stash = £27.76<br /><b><br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div>Bibliography<br /><div>Classic Hats EBook from How2hats.com<br />Hats! Making classic hats and headpieces in fabric, felt and straw. &nbsp;By Sarah Cant<br /><div>Fashion Hats. By Karen Henrikssen<br />From the Neck Up. &nbsp;By Denise Dreher</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-58109232475545043052015-06-12T11:37:00.000-07:002015-06-12T11:37:43.929-07:00Musings on MacarOn, MacarOON!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cVKSNN8mSY4/VXRNlt-rknI/AAAAAAAACo0/uMELEuJCAvQ/s1600/blogger-image--825717080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cVKSNN8mSY4/VXRNlt-rknI/AAAAAAAACo0/uMELEuJCAvQ/s320/blogger-image--825717080.jpg" width="320" /></a>My favorite treat from the village bakery when I was little were the giant, chewy, almond macaroons with rice paper on the bottom, which at that age were about the size of my head! In recent years the macaron (note spelling!) has become a massive baking trend, and I do really like them but I certainly do not have the patience to make them as beautifully as you see them in fancy patisseries. &nbsp;Whilst the basic ingredients are the same for the two, ground almonds, sugar and egg white, the way you blend them is different and for me that's what makes the difference between macaroons and macarons. You could also argue that macaroons are the English version of French macarons, as I have never seen macaroons in any french recipe book that I've read. Although, if you are going to get into baking geography the Italians might want to chip in with the fact that the word macaron is derived from the Italian <i>macarone</i> or <i>maccherone</i> which means meringue and is what macaro/ons&nbsp;are both basically made of. &nbsp;For some people, macaroons are in fact made with shredded cocnut and not nuts at all, but seeing as I loathe shredded coconut with a passion, you won't find any of that nonsense on this blog! &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rw9wKNCGibY/VXsUKbB_FDI/AAAAAAAACqI/2y8Wdk386eA/s1600/macaron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rw9wKNCGibY/VXsUKbB_FDI/AAAAAAAACqI/2y8Wdk386eA/s320/macaron.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Laduree Macarons</td></tr></tbody></table>Both confections are made by whipping egg whites with sugar to form a meringue base and then folding the almonds into this very gently to maintain the airiness of the batter so that they do not collapse when baked. I have tried making macarons several times with varying degrees of success. To get the distinctive crisp, smooth shell and a sort of ruffled bottom (that aficionados call its foot), macarons are usually made with very finely ground almonds, or almond flour and icing or confectioners sugar. This results in a much smoother mixture and also creates the distinctive shiny finish. &nbsp;Two of these shells are then sandwiched together with butter cream (mmmm...) To make the classic Laduree macaron the shells have to be the same size which means you have to pipe the mixture out onto the baking sheets and I am just not patient enough for that! &nbsp;Also, it makes so much more washing up and I inevitably get bored half way through the piping, which means I get sloppy, and I end up with different sizes, which then annoys me! &nbsp;So whilst I can appreciate the beauty and deliciousness of the macaron, I will probably be a receiver and eater of them rather than a creator!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Macaroons on the other hand are so much easier to make and far harder to cock up- vital aspects for an easily bored baker like me! &nbsp;This recipe is based on one I found in one of my Mum's ancient Reader's Digest cook books, but tweaked a bit to make the macaroons even more chewy. &nbsp;Its very easy to scale the recipe up or down to however many egg whites you might happen to have. &nbsp;One quantity of the mixture makes approximately 12 about 5cm in diameter. &nbsp;I usually make 3 quantities, as these don't hang around for long!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ingredients</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1 egg white</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3 oz caster sugar (90g) &nbsp;If you have it use vanilla sugar.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2 oz ground almonds (60g)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Halved almonds to finish- one for each macaroon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rice paper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">(if you cant get rice paper use bake-o-glide on your baking trays as nothing sticks to it! You could try using baking parchment, but you may find they stick to it. &nbsp;Seriously get some Bake-o-glide you can use it over and over again so it is totally worth it)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Pre heat oven to 180C</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Line baking trays with rice paper or Bake-o-glide (the number of trays will depend on how much mixture you make)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. &nbsp;If like me you sometimes have trouble telling if your egg whites are at stiff peak stage and panic about over beating them, then check out this <a href="http://www.joepastry.com/2014/whipping-egg-whites/">post</a>&nbsp;at the marvelous Joe Pastry website. The pictures and descriptions are great- no more under or over-whipped egg whites! &nbsp;Unlike with macarons it's not the end of the world if you don't get the beating exactly right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Once you reach stiff peak stage, continue beating adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time allowing each one to combine fully before adding the next.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- &nbsp;The mixture will become beautifully shiny and thick. &nbsp;This is a basic meringue mix.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nBNsUVOEehY/VXRNjIwqUyI/AAAAAAAACos/Mpk36GYk-78/s640/blogger-image-1971010561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nBNsUVOEehY/VXRNjIwqUyI/AAAAAAAACos/Mpk36GYk-78/s320/blogger-image-1971010561.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would love to just stick my head in this bowl!</td></tr></tbody></table>- &nbsp;Gently fold the almonds into the meringue mix, trying not t deflate it too much. &nbsp;A metal spoon or rubber spatula is ideal for this. &nbsp;The mixture should be still quite stiff and thick, of you over stir it, it will get more liquid. &nbsp;This isn't the end of the world it just means the finished macaroons will not rise as much and will probably spread more so will be thinner and crispier, but still yummy!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9xQgKyt_r-c/VXRNnm5QOUI/AAAAAAAACo8/zmZWGrp3MHg/s640/blogger-image--567103422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9xQgKyt_r-c/VXRNnm5QOUI/AAAAAAAACo8/zmZWGrp3MHg/s320/blogger-image--567103422.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fully folded mixture</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Using a couple of teaspoons, dollop the mixture out onto the rice paper, allowing space around each as they will spread a bit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Finish each macaroon with a half almond.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- If you want the macaroons to by extra golden you can brush the tops with egg white, but you don't have to.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mqG0nSO9ah0/VXr9IPuD_SI/AAAAAAAACp4/xemgcQBxB8s/s640/blogger-image-863879893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mqG0nSO9ah0/VXr9IPuD_SI/AAAAAAAACp4/xemgcQBxB8s/s320/blogger-image-863879893.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for baking</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Bake for about 12 minutes, but watch them like a hawk as they go from golden to burnt very quickly! &nbsp;I was not eagle eyed enough and you can see a couple got a little bit crisped!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AKTtUEgjAbY/VXRNcqqZTkI/AAAAAAAACoc/1k2Xc9NiAyg/s640/blogger-image--1920284617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AKTtUEgjAbY/VXRNcqqZTkI/AAAAAAAACoc/1k2Xc9NiAyg/s320/blogger-image--1920284617.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- Gently pull off the excess rice paper and then let them cool on a wire rack.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wwX1z27vALs/VXRNfrEmjnI/AAAAAAAACok/4jUHPPkCYcU/s640/blogger-image-1069163422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wwX1z27vALs/VXRNfrEmjnI/AAAAAAAACok/4jUHPPkCYcU/s320/blogger-image-1069163422.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">And that's it really, except to eat and enjoy. &nbsp;They'll keep for a few days in an airtight box, but mine usually disappear within 48 hours...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mxi2LQ17vyg/VXRNaQciqoI/AAAAAAAACoU/Hvs0-pormGo/s640/blogger-image-242348447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mxi2LQ17vyg/VXRNaQciqoI/AAAAAAAACoU/Hvs0-pormGo/s320/blogger-image-242348447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-61543408237568425072015-05-11T06:26:00.000-07:002015-07-10T01:25:29.320-07:00It's a hard knock life...Yes, I've been reduced to quotes from musicals to express myself... I've never wanted this blog to be all about how shit having cf is, as for one thing I think its pretty obvious, and I've always lived in mortal fear of people thinking I am trying to get their sympathy... Fortunately, I think the number of people who read this blog are so negligible (don't ask me about how depressing my google stats are!) that probably no one will notice:-) <br><div><br></div><div>So anyway, I've been having a hell of a lot of ivs recently, its been pretty much every 3 weeks for several months and sometimes less...So I had to have one of 'those' conversations with the consultant last clinic, and I have been rather forced to confront some home truths. &nbsp;'Those' conversations are the ones that you have about the big scary things, like the fact that the "drugs don't work" very well anymore (now it's 90s grunge songs), and I'm rather running out of options, so transplant is rearing it's ugly head once more. &nbsp;You may well make it through the conversation without dissolving into a puddle of angry tears, but later on you have to actually face the facts, and I really don't want to. &nbsp;My declining health has been so gradual that I find it hard to recognise the fact that I am this sick- sick enough to need a double lung transplant in the not too distant future. &nbsp;I know that sounds daft, but it's only when I actually sit down and think about my daily life that I realise how much I'm struggling- physically and mentally. &nbsp;Putting off going upstairs until you absolutely have to, because you don't want to cough your lungs up is not normal in a 34 year old. &nbsp;Not being able to speak without getting out of breath- ditto. &nbsp;Having to make other people walk at my pace cos there is no way I can go at theirs.... The list could go on, but frankly it's too depressing. But all this has occurred so slowly that it has just become 'normal' for me. If I had gone from being well to suddenly being really ill then it would be a lot easier to realise where my health is at now. &nbsp;Cf is such an insidious disease that when you do finally confront what it has done to you, it is almost surprising!&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>We've not given up completely just yet tho. &nbsp;The consultants and I have a plan! Next time I need ivs, we are going to try and desensitise me to some of the meds I've previously been allergic to, which I'll have to have as an in patient sadly. &nbsp;But it may mean that we can try some new treatment options and hopefully get a little bit longer off ivs, which would be really nice. So to try and alleviate the boredom I'm going to plan and get materials for a couple of crochet projects, and make some hats that I can then trim whilst incarcerated. &nbsp;We have also just completed the purchase of a bungalow, that once we've done it up a bit (ok a lot!) will hopefully make my everyday life a lot easier and less stressful. &nbsp;I'm also rather enjoying designing all the fun things we 're going to have in the new house, with Mr EB of course! &nbsp; I'm not going to just stop living and doing things and being me, because my body is being difficult.<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-114258059072829542015-04-14T08:50:00.001-07:002015-06-03T12:37:50.536-07:00HSM15 April- War & Peace<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The April challenge for the HSM15 is War and Peace. &nbsp;The extremes of conflict or long periods of peacetime can both influence what people wear, so for this month we have to make something that shows either the effect of war or peace. My chosen period is WWII</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">A little bit of info about WWII fashion and rationing.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Whilst food rationing had been in place since 1940, the imposition of clothing rationing was not announced until 1 June 1941. &nbsp; With Great Britain effectively cut off from all supplies from Europe and a greatly diminished supply route from the USA, rationing sought to ensure a more equal distribution of what was available. &nbsp;Each kind of clothing was allocated a 'points' value, which was based on how much fabric it took to make and how much labour went into its manufacture. &nbsp;For example, a wool dress took 11 coupons compared to 2 for a pair of stockings or 8 for a pair of men's trousers. &nbsp;Each adult had an allowance of 66 points to last a year, but as war production increased in the run up to D Day, the allocation shrank to just 24 during 1945-6. Customers had to plan how they would use their points very car</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">efully, and the government constantly reminded the population of the complex and difficult choices they had to make to make their clothes last. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGyjyg1LjUM/VSaz6iAtaSI/AAAAAAAACko/N2hruTRiSVw/s1600/CC41_mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGyjyg1LjUM/VSaz6iAtaSI/AAAAAAAACko/N2hruTRiSVw/s1600/CC41_mark.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit Wikipedia</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Of course, th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">e customer still had to pay for the garment as usual, but every type of clothing had the same points value regardless of the quality of the garment. So, a coat of cheap fabric would cost the same number of points as a robust coat which would last a lot longer. Wealthier customers were therefore better served by the rationing system, especially considering clothing prices were generally higher during the war due to the shortage of fabric and materials being commandeered for the war effort.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">To try and combat these problems the government introduced the Utility Scheme also on June 1st 1941, to ensure that low and medium quality consumer goods were produced to high standards at reasonable prices. Clothes made under the scheme were identified by the CC41 label an abbreviation of Civilian Clothing 1941 (the holy grail to vintage collectors!). &nbsp;They were made with fabric that had a set specification of weight and weave called Utility Cloth. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">As well as rationing the number of clothes people could buy, the actual designs of garments were governed by strict rules. &nbsp;The Making of Civilian Clothing (restriction orders) was passed in 1942; this forbade the wasteful cutting of clothes and set strictly enforced limits that tailors,</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">&nbsp;dressmakers and home sewers, had to abide by. &nbsp;The restrictions were extensive for example, a dress could have no more than 2 pockets, 5 buttons, 6 seams in the skirt and only 2 inverted or box pleats, or 4 knife pleats. &nbsp;No unnecessary ornamentation or decoration was allowed. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZUm83tHrlg/VSf560p2zCI/AAAAAAAAClQ/6GJlKfBhfh4/s1600/utility%2Buit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZUm83tHrlg/VSf560p2zCI/AAAAAAAAClQ/6GJlKfBhfh4/s1600/utility%2Buit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utility Suit designed by Inc Soc.1942<br />&nbsp;Collection of the V &amp; A.</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">To demonstrate that these limitations were not an end of style and fashion, the Board of Trade employed a group of London's top fashion designers, including Hardy Amies and Royal favorite Norman Hartnell, to create a year round collection. The Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers or Inc.Soc as they became known was founded in Jan 1942. &nbsp;They produced designs that could be made with a limited amount of fabric e.g. 1.8 metres for a dress, which resulted in an emphasis on line and cut and also reduced the cost. Whilst government standardised fashion had not been seen as a good idea by many, the fashion press appreciated the new collection of attractive, affordable clothes. &nbsp;British Vogue praised them for being e</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">legant, simple designs that were eminently wearable - 'All women have the equal chance to buy beautifully designed clothes suitable to their lives and incomes'. &nbsp;An example of Inc Soc design can be seen in the beautifully tailored suit pictured above from the V&amp;A's collection. &nbsp;It was probably designed by Elspeth Champcomunal in 1942 (Inc Soc designers were not always given direct credit, to prevent favouratism). &nbsp;It exemplifies the tailored, slim line silhouette, with pronounced shoulders and a nipped in waist (reminiscent of the uniforms worn by the forces) that became the standard wartime look. &nbsp;It is also beautifully made and finished from a hard wearing woolen tweed. &nbsp;The scheme proved to be extremely successful, by the end of the war about 85% of all civilian clothing and fabric bore the utility label.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m7TpaAJSUbA/VSatKsMZU-I/AAAAAAAACkY/9weIds293zM/s1600/IWM_PST_004773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m7TpaAJSUbA/VSatKsMZU-I/AAAAAAAACkY/9weIds293zM/s1600/IWM_PST_004773.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit Imperial War Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Perhaps the most famous response to the rationing of clothing was the Make do and Mend campaign. &nbsp;The campaign 'was not merely designed to revive the lost arts of darning and patching, but to raise morale by showing how old clothes can be turned into really smart and attractive new ones' &nbsp;Posters and leaflets, such as the one pictured, &nbsp;encouraged women to go through their old clothes (and their husbands old clothes) and repurpose them for themselves and their children. &nbsp;Another important facet of the campaign was teaching people to care for and repair clothes they already owned to make them last longer and preserve the precious coupons. &nbsp;Women became ever more imaginative and creative in recycling, and renovating old clothes and creating stylish, home made accessories. The government was genuinely concerned with maintaining the morale of the public, particularly women who were vital for the war effort. &nbsp;By 1945 2.2 million women were working in war industries, building everything from ships to aircraft. &nbsp;Maintaining their personal appearance was vital to keep morale on the home front high.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zCk0feqQ8KI/VSa8GMWCxBI/AAAAAAAACk4/42VIIqs4xx4/s1600/il_570xN.707688409_ncuw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zCk0feqQ8KI/VSa8GMWCxBI/AAAAAAAACk4/42VIIqs4xx4/s1600/il_570xN.707688409_ncuw.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Ok, so that's quite a lot of background info on rationing! As you can tell I find this period of fashion history somewhat fascinating. &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I have always been in awe of the women of this period such as my Nan, who maintained their own style with such creativity and ingenuity. I wanted to make something that one of them might have actually made and worn so decided to use an actual pattern that was available during in 1942. I first saw the pattern (pictured left) in one of my many costume history books -<i>The 1940's Lookbook </i>by Mike Brown. &nbsp;As with so many period publications you can now find a copy of the original online. &nbsp;This pattern is available to download from Etsy&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/217424927/vintage-felt-flowers-make-your-own-felt?ref=shop_home_feat_4" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">&nbsp;for the bargain price of £2.08. It's really very simple to follow and I made mine entirely from scraps of felt I had left over from my hat making, so definitely coupon friendly! &nbsp;I'm not quite sure exactly what I am going to use them for, possibly a brooch as suggested in the pattern, but I rather like them on the boater I used as a background in the pictures. &nbsp;Either way I am very pleased with how they turned out and will definitely be making some more.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uH-9w3aHK-E/VS02fqQZxxI/AAAAAAAACmA/3MUWZlhGLFo/s1600/2015-04-14%2B15.52.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uH-9w3aHK-E/VS02fqQZxxI/AAAAAAAACmA/3MUWZlhGLFo/s1600/2015-04-14%2B15.52.58.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-arDLcPlj38k/VS02gTIDZ-I/AAAAAAAACmE/mtGbxF7jKhw/s1600/2015-04-14%2B15.53.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-arDLcPlj38k/VS02gTIDZ-I/AAAAAAAACmE/mtGbxF7jKhw/s1600/2015-04-14%2B15.53.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F078zeR5UnI/VS02hHH3PpI/AAAAAAAACmM/vQcEDJhhCdg/s1600/2015-04-14%2B15.55.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F078zeR5UnI/VS02hHH3PpI/AAAAAAAACmM/vQcEDJhhCdg/s1600/2015-04-14%2B15.55.03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Challenge: </strong><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">War and Peace</span></em></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Fabric: </b>Felt</em></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pattern:</em></strong><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;Bestway, Buttonhole and Necklace</em></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Year: </b>1942</em></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Notions:</strong><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;Thread, &nbsp;Safety Pin</span></em></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How historically accurate is it? </strong><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">95% I didn't follow the pattern to the absolute letter</span></em></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hours to complete: </strong><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 hours</span></em></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>First worn: </b>Not yet worn</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, serif; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.73; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Total cost:</strong><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nothing -all from stash</span></em></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-29794264326088193742015-03-24T12:51:00.001-07:002015-03-26T04:57:55.356-07:00Rainbow Granny Scarf<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G4UtqG6BK-Y/VQ2gINHRQgI/AAAAAAAACis/JtCeIRVYn3g/s640/blogger-image--69157112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G4UtqG6BK-Y/VQ2gINHRQgI/AAAAAAAACis/JtCeIRVYn3g/s320/blogger-image--69157112.jpg" width="240" /></a>I have to admit to being a major Pinterest addict.. I may need to join a support group, if there is one. Most of my pins will never get used as anything other than a picture of something that I think is pretty, but some have actually proved amazingly useful and inspired my sewing, hatting and crocheting. &nbsp;One of my favorite finds on Pinterest is Sarah London, a crochet designer from Australia. &nbsp;She has loads of fantastic crochet patterns, some are even free, including a designed for a Granny stitch based scarf called <a href="https://sarahlondon.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/arctic-scarf/">The Arctic Scarf</a>&nbsp; which incorporates all the bold colours that she is most known for. &nbsp; Although I really liked this pattern it was not quite what I wanted, but it is gorgeous nonetheless. So I decided to create my own pattern-eek!<br /><br />The Granny Square is a classic and super easy crochet technique which I love making, as you don't have the fiddly first step of most crochet patterns of crocheting a long chain and then trying to crochet into that. &nbsp;What I wanted tho was not a square but a long, thin rectangle- ie scarf shaped! This did mean that I needed to start with a long chain-sigh... However, &nbsp;I found a fantastic tutorial (Pinterest again!) on how to make a granny rectangle as the basis for a blanket at the marvelous&nbsp;<a href="http://crochetagain.com/2012/06/27/a-better-granny-rectangle/">Crochet Again</a>&nbsp;website. &nbsp;It even has a stitch diagram, which I find much easier to follow than written instructions. So all I needed now was some yarn. &nbsp;Fortunately for me <a href="http://www.sheepshopcambridge.co.uk/">The Sheep Shop</a>&nbsp;in Cambridge stocks all the colours of Rico's Creative Cotton, an aran weight, 100% cotton yarn, so I could pop in and choose my rainbow. In my opinion it is more of a heavy DK than a proper aran weight, as it feels a lot lighter than any other DK yarn I've used. &nbsp;It comes in so many gorgeous, rich colours, and being 100% cotton it doesn't make my hands itch and go pink when I use it.<br /><br />Anyway, as we all learnt in school the seven colours of the rainbow are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet (or Richard Of York Gave Battle in Vain!). &nbsp;For my scarf you'll need a ball of each colour, plus an extra ball of violet- as the scarf is finished with an extra row of this colour and fringe. &nbsp;So here is my first crochet pattern!<br /><br /><h2>Rainbow Granny Scarf</h2><div>You will need seven colours of Arran weight yarn. &nbsp;If used Rico Creative Cotton in, Red-05, Orange-74, Yellow-63, Green-49, Sky Blue-37, Royal Blue-39, Cardinal-11. &nbsp;The closest I could get to a rainbow. You need one ball of each colour and two of the last colour.</div><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Z2nISGDKcp8/VRBWNmmCEaI/AAAAAAAACjM/V0BVSo9-I4Y/s640/blogger-image-1402380992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Z2nISGDKcp8/VRBWNmmCEaI/AAAAAAAACjM/V0BVSo9-I4Y/s640/blogger-image-1402380992.jpg" /></a>Finished dimensions<br />Width-16cm<br />Length-3m 20cm &nbsp;excluding fringe<br /><br />Foundation Row<br /><br /><ul><li>Using a 5mm hook and red yarn- Chain 360!!! &nbsp;Yes I know that is ridiculously long, but that's what I wanted.&nbsp;</li><li>If you want your scarf to be slightly less mad, then chain 300; you will also not need to worry about the yarn running out in the later rounds as it got pretty close with mine! (or you can make it any length of chain you like as long as its a multiple of 3)</li></ul><br />Row 1<br /><br /><ul><li>In the 6th chain from the hook 3 Treble crochet (from here on I will call this a Treble group or TrGp). &nbsp;</li><li>Skip two chain, then TrGp in next chain.</li><li>Continue this pattern (skip two chains then Tr Gr in the next) all the way along the chain until there are only 3 chain left</li><li>Treble crochet in the last chain.</li><li>Fasten off red yarn and weave in ends.</li></ul><div>This results in a long, thin ribbon of crochet that looks like this-</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5Vp2ESxjSIQ/VQ2gGpt0t2I/AAAAAAAACik/rDPpQILkq18/s640/blogger-image--1139322967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5Vp2ESxjSIQ/VQ2gGpt0t2I/AAAAAAAACik/rDPpQILkq18/s320/blogger-image--1139322967.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Row 2, Orange yarn<br /><div><ul><li>Begin in a skipped chain space, or between two treble groups, either attach your yarn and chain three (equals one treble) or use the amazing technique called the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mooglyblog.com/standing-double-crochet-joining/">Standing treble crochet</a>&nbsp;that I learnt at Moogly.com which produces a totally invisible start! &nbsp;(It is called a standing double crochet in American terms).</li><li>One treble in the chain space</li><li>Chain one, then TrGp in next chain space.</li><li>Repeat (Chain one, TrGp) in each chain space until you reach the end of the red row.</li><li>To work around the end of the row work a TrGp, 3 chain, TrGp, 3 chain, TrGp. &nbsp;(The chains from the corners that you will work into in the next row- you can see this in the picture below) &nbsp;</li><li>Continue making chain one, TrGp repetitions all way along the other side of the red foundation row.</li><li>When you reach the other end of the scarf work the end in the same was as the first. (TrGp, 3 chain, x 3). &nbsp;Then work along the first side until you reach the starting point.</li><li>Chain one and work one treble in to the first chain space where you started.</li><li>Join to the top of the first treble with a slipstitch, cut the yarn and weave in the end, or-</li><li>Cut the yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail, and pull the tail out from the last stitch. &nbsp;Then using a wool needle, pass the tail under the top loop of the first treble crochet of the row then back through the top of the last treble to create a loop that joins the two trebles. Weave this end in. &nbsp;This produces a seamless join- there are two joins in the picture below-Can see you see them?!</li></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z5fajnqdZCI/VQ2gFUdHrgI/AAAAAAAACic/qfWI_LHRojc/s640/blogger-image--1033564848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z5fajnqdZCI/VQ2gFUdHrgI/AAAAAAAACic/qfWI_LHRojc/s320/blogger-image--1033564848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First three rows.</td></tr></tbody></table>Rows 3 (yellow), 4 (Green), 5 (Blue), 6 (indigo), and 7 (Violet), are made exactly the same way as Row 2, they are just slightly bigger. &nbsp;If you'd like a diagram do check out Crochet Again's <a href="http://crochetagain.com/2012/06/27/a-better-granny-rectangle/">post</a>&nbsp;mentioned above.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once you've finished all 7 rows, you can block the scarf by pinning it to an ironing board and gently pressing it with a steam iron and a press cloth, or if you prefer you can wet block it- cotton yarn will take either. &nbsp;I then finished mine with a fringe.</div><div><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UIHV9U7SpJU/VRBWSrraL6I/AAAAAAAACjk/GE2Ciq2rY1o/s640/blogger-image--425742858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UIHV9U7SpJU/VRBWSrraL6I/AAAAAAAACjk/GE2Ciq2rY1o/s320/blogger-image--425742858.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><h3>Making the Fringe</h3><div>Fringe is dead easy to make and add to a scarf. I used a postcard to make my fringe, but any piece of card or a cd case or anything that is the twice the length of fringe you want is fine as a template. &nbsp;My postcard is 16cm long, so the finished fringe will be 8cm long. &nbsp;To make the fringe pieces, wrap your yarn around your template a few times- don't do too many wraps or it get more fiddly to hang on to it all. &nbsp;Cut the yarn at the bottom of the template, keeping hold of the yarn on the template, then cut it again at the top of the template. This will leave you with several individual lengths of 16cm.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QzZZBVuDgoo/VRBS0iS1-HI/AAAAAAAACjA/yml6UIZl2h0/s640/blogger-image-1603406763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QzZZBVuDgoo/VRBS0iS1-HI/AAAAAAAACjA/yml6UIZl2h0/s320/blogger-image-1603406763.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Then taking one length, fold it in half. &nbsp;Using your crochet hook, pull the folded end through the top of a corner stitch at the bottom of the scarf to create a loop-<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5Fo73gPvBIg/VRBWPc7P-xI/AAAAAAAACjU/7xRsDljZDdc/s640/blogger-image-920786386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5Fo73gPvBIg/VRBWPc7P-xI/AAAAAAAACjU/7xRsDljZDdc/s320/blogger-image-920786386.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Use the hook to catch the two ends of the strand and pull them all the way through the loop you have just made-<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K9H6VvsvSoA/VRBWUG_MbmI/AAAAAAAACjs/hZm8gfov9CA/s640/blogger-image--400102802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K9H6VvsvSoA/VRBWUG_MbmI/AAAAAAAACjs/hZm8gfov9CA/s320/blogger-image--400102802.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pull the ends gently to tighten the knot against the scarf. &nbsp;Repeat this process all the way along the end of the scarf.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_1Qk9OxCHkM/VRBWVjiJnnI/AAAAAAAACj0/8fkMAHjuN2k/s640/blogger-image-160365752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_1Qk9OxCHkM/VRBWVjiJnnI/AAAAAAAACj0/8fkMAHjuN2k/s320/blogger-image-160365752.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aixMCmWCZFE/VRBWQwFM72I/AAAAAAAACjc/x4cu_G72MeA/s640/blogger-image-297882349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aixMCmWCZFE/VRBWQwFM72I/AAAAAAAACjc/x4cu_G72MeA/s320/blogger-image-297882349.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta-dah!</td></tr></tbody></table>You may need to trim the ends of the fringe a little to get them completely level. &nbsp;Now, take your scarf wrap it several times around your neck and feel smug! &nbsp;I hope the pattern is clear and easy to follow, any problems do drop me a line or a comment and I will try and help.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>Pattern &nbsp;Rainbow Granny Scarf, Copyright Rosalind Evans. &nbsp;You are welcome to reproduce this pattern for personal use, but please do not use it for commercial gain. Please do not reproduce my photos or the text of this pattern without contacting me first. If you would like to link to this pattern please do, but I would ask that you let me know.<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-73279990773573556262015-03-19T10:55:00.004-07:002015-03-19T11:04:59.063-07:00Grey Feathered Everyday Hat<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tDAhF8m3vT0/VQMYVGYLqBI/AAAAAAAACeo/f9cl_QFUXk4/s640/blogger-image-617492194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tDAhF8m3vT0/VQMYVGYLqBI/AAAAAAAACeo/f9cl_QFUXk4/s640/blogger-image-617492194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-99Rc6zx7yGg/VQMXXg0T_gI/AAAAAAAACeI/yZCmyTjbWbw/s640/blogger-image-612133295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-99Rc6zx7yGg/VQMXXg0T_gI/AAAAAAAACeI/yZCmyTjbWbw/s640/blogger-image-612133295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zk2ngrvkrj0/VQMYjqwb4DI/AAAAAAAACe4/ZLAiZX9H5Ik/s640/blogger-image--510567447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zk2ngrvkrj0/VQMYjqwb4DI/AAAAAAAACe4/ZLAiZX9H5Ik/s640/blogger-image--510567447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WAb_H0KIa3c/VQMYSGmnhkI/AAAAAAAACeY/31mM9orROMA/s640/blogger-image-1969895278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WAb_H0KIa3c/VQMYSGmnhkI/AAAAAAAACeY/31mM9orROMA/s640/blogger-image-1969895278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pGkkZMRWjjk/VQMYWmJVsRI/AAAAAAAACew/aPgPSP9p59c/s640/blogger-image-928877529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I got a new block for my birthday, and what with one thing (my crappy health) and another (work stuff) I still had not used it nearly six months later! &nbsp;It's &nbsp;a block I commissioned from the always fabulous Guy Morse Brown. &nbsp;It's a mixture of some of the designs they offer in their catalogue, and it will work with all the other blocks I have previously bought from them. &nbsp;I really like crowns with valley details round the top, like the classic pork pie hat. &nbsp;Unlike the pork pie, I also wanted the valley to have a small 'v'cut out at the centre front and gently sloping sides rather than straight sides- &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWbFyJIzaNA/VQsLSPKzgBI/AAAAAAAACg0/CN7ZNxObs6Y/s1600/2015-03-17%2B19.27.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWbFyJIzaNA/VQsLSPKzgBI/AAAAAAAACg0/CN7ZNxObs6Y/s1600/2015-03-17%2B19.27.52.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0EpI_2PvxqQ/VQsLTVcMPcI/AAAAAAAACg8/YU7gMXNQATo/s1600/2015-03-17%2B19.28.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0EpI_2PvxqQ/VQsLTVcMPcI/AAAAAAAACg8/YU7gMXNQATo/s1600/2015-03-17%2B19.28.31.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the brim block that I used in the background.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">So, now I'm finally feeling a bit better and have some time, it was at last time to try my new block out. &nbsp;It has also been ages since I have done any feather work, so I decided that I would do a feather hat band on my new shape, as it would not distract too much from the nice shape of the crown. &nbsp;I've learnt a lot about using feathers in millinery from one of the first millinery books I ever bought- Classic Millinery Techniques by Ann Albruzio.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XuYMqySnHHA/VQQkyGg98WI/AAAAAAAACfM/s6RHfmiZc5c/s640/blogger-image--1556120510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XuYMqySnHHA/VQQkyGg98WI/AAAAAAAACfM/s6RHfmiZc5c/s320/blogger-image--1556120510.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't think that this is still available in print, but you can certainly get it second hand on Amazon. The designs in it are perhaps a little dated, there are a lot of 1980's style pill boxes, but the techniques it teaches are very useful, and well illustrated, especially the feather work. &nbsp;So the first thing was to block the basic shape in the grey felt cone I had chosen-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-99Rc6zx7yGg/VQMXXg0T_gI/AAAAAAAACeI/yZCmyTjbWbw/s1600/blogger-image-612133295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-99Rc6zx7yGg/VQMXXg0T_gI/AAAAAAAACeI/yZCmyTjbWbw/s320/blogger-image-612133295.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The detail in the crown top is held in place by a piece of blocking reed and pins, the bottom of the brim is created with a finger groove and string. &nbsp;I really like having a finger grove at the bottom of a brim shape as it makes it so easy to get a really smooth clean brim line. &nbsp; Once the felt had dried, I used size to stiffen the crown and hold in the shape and trimmed the excess felt off the bottom of the brim. &nbsp;I replaced the hat on the block to make gluing the feathers to it easier, as having the block to press against gives you a stronger bond. &nbsp;To keep the hat band straight and level I marked the line I wanted with chalk and my hem marker.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZQDpMEmGAuQ/VQMYTYdF09I/AAAAAAAACeg/gqw-ce2GSj4/s640/blogger-image--2083308118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZQDpMEmGAuQ/VQMYTYdF09I/AAAAAAAACeg/gqw-ce2GSj4/s320/blogger-image--2083308118.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first thing to do when adding feathers to a hat is create a 'lift'. &nbsp;This is basically a long, thin piece of paper folded in half and pinned to the hat at the centre back, as you can see above. &nbsp;You can then glue the first feather to the hat over lapping the lift. &nbsp; Before attaching the feathers its best to hold it in place first to check how it will look (see below), and then trim some of the fluff from the bottom of the feather. &nbsp;Don't remove it all as it will give the next feather a bit more volume, but you can trim the fluff down so it won't show through the next feather, or poke out from the top or bottom of the band. &nbsp; You should also remove about a cm of the fluff from the quill of the bottom of the feather, so you can glue the quill really securely to the hat.. &nbsp;You can cut it off with scissors but the easiest way is just to grip the fluff in one hand close to the quill and hold the quill with the other, then just pull the fluff away with a quick downward movement. The lift is then left pinned in place as you work around the hat, feather by feather.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tDAhF8m3vT0/VQMYVGYLqBI/AAAAAAAACeo/f9cl_QFUXk4/s1600/blogger-image-617492194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tDAhF8m3vT0/VQMYVGYLqBI/AAAAAAAACeo/f9cl_QFUXk4/s320/blogger-image-617492194.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because feathers are not man made they will all be a bit different, so don't expect every single one to line up perfectly or the hat band to be the exact same width all the way round. What you are aiming for is as smooth an overlap as possible and trying to keep the band the same width as much as possible. &nbsp;Once you've worked your way around the hat towards the CB you can use the lift to raise the first feathers up, which allows you to then glue the last feathers underneath them and create an invisible join.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zk2ngrvkrj0/VQMYjqwb4DI/AAAAAAAACe4/ZLAiZX9H5Ik/s1600/blogger-image--510567447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zk2ngrvkrj0/VQMYjqwb4DI/AAAAAAAACe4/ZLAiZX9H5Ik/s320/blogger-image--510567447.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lift holding the first feathers out of the way.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DZl0CHS25RM/VQsKauX-7oI/AAAAAAAACgs/Yq7xyhVO9sA/s1600/2015-03-13%2B17.02.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DZl0CHS25RM/VQsKauX-7oI/AAAAAAAACgs/Yq7xyhVO9sA/s1600/2015-03-13%2B17.02.45.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the join!?</td></tr></tbody></table>As you can see, feather work gets very messy! It doesn't matter how careful you are, the stray fluff will get everywhere and stick to everything... &nbsp;The best way I have found of tidying it away is to use a piece of sticky tape to catch it on, then fold it up and throw it away, I've even been known to put the tape in a bag and then throw it away. However, I guarantee you'll still find bits of fluff for the next few days, especially on your socks! &nbsp;Another good tool to have on hand when using feathers is a toothbrush. &nbsp;Its very useful for brushing small areas of the felt and also giving the feathers a light comb once they are glued on. &nbsp;I'm hoping to get a lot of wear out of this design as it should go with everything, the next hat will be a bit more flamboyant!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6JPl7FGKDdg/VQsONhu3NOI/AAAAAAAAChI/Zcs0_RbmXb4/s1600/photo%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6JPl7FGKDdg/VQsONhu3NOI/AAAAAAAAChI/Zcs0_RbmXb4/s1600/photo%2B1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mXNw7DRoASM/VQsORs14fTI/AAAAAAAAChg/rzmMyKEEEiA/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mXNw7DRoASM/VQsORs14fTI/AAAAAAAAChg/rzmMyKEEEiA/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jXaICA0Cs1A/VQsOOgocyFI/AAAAAAAAChY/0AnD87YmVAE/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jXaICA0Cs1A/VQsOOgocyFI/AAAAAAAAChY/0AnD87YmVAE/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XjrcaIWgIuE/VQsOSGFozcI/AAAAAAAACho/lmc1h_jXAlw/s1600/photo%2B4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XjrcaIWgIuE/VQsOSGFozcI/AAAAAAAACho/lmc1h_jXAlw/s1600/photo%2B4.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-19865471510064653742015-02-04T06:21:00.001-08:002015-02-04T06:22:29.923-08:00Blue cloche - Historical sew monthly<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FvWAmf8UmVs/VMFie0yX3WI/AAAAAAAACa4/8A-DY66u4jI/s640/blogger-image--1130583815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FvWAmf8UmVs/VMFie0yX3WI/AAAAAAAACa4/8A-DY66u4jI/s640/blogger-image--1130583815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wvHrvtwBDfU/VMFia4LTdXI/AAAAAAAACao/qhZMxFBlzlg/s640/blogger-image-1615867093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So last year I totally failed to take part in the Historical Sew Fortnightly which is organised by the marvelous </span><a href="http://thedreamstress.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Dreamstress</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">. This is a great idea, whereby sewing challenges are set fortnightly, and participants complete them by recreating historical garments, in 2015 the challenges will be monthly. I really wanted to take part last year but things like getting married, or being ill, or making other peoples wedding dresses took up all my time and all my good intentions went phut. &nbsp;However, this year things are going to be different. As mentioned in a&nbsp;previous post, I have decided that dead lines are no longer my friend so I'm changing my work patterns to suit my crappy health. &nbsp;This does leave me some more time to do some me sewing, and so here is my first effort for the Historical Sew Monthly.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The February challenge is Blue, to make an item that features blue, in any shade from azure to zaffre. I've been wanting to do some more free form blocking so a 1920's pleated cloche is my first challenge. I began by blocking the hood over my domed hatblock as I wanted the top of the hat to have a classic, rounded bell shape. &nbsp;When it was dry I marked the head fitting line (where the hat will sit on the head) using my hem marker. &nbsp;I'm quite pleased with this way of marking the headline as it lets you decide the depth of crown you want really easily and you don't have to take it off the block first.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TMXhwBAZUX0/VMFigmc6t4I/AAAAAAAACbA/La2RsHkRg1A/s640/blogger-image-1604701610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TMXhwBAZUX0/VMFigmc6t4I/AAAAAAAACbA/La2RsHkRg1A/s320/blogger-image-1604701610.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xUAJ_zNb6C8/VMFiZAehSGI/AAAAAAAACag/ZDCuOjaqX1o/s640/blogger-image--829683065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xUAJ_zNb6C8/VMFiZAehSGI/AAAAAAAACag/ZDCuOjaqX1o/s320/blogger-image--829683065.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Once the hood had dried I removed it from the dome block and started to shape it on my malleable wig head which I covered in cling film to protect it from any dye leaching from the hood when I steamed it. &nbsp;I took inspiration from some extant examples of felt cloches that I found online. The first is a blue fur felt cloche with lovely pleats at the back, it was for sale a while ago on Vintage Martini. The second is a 1928 hat by Miss Fox that is in the V and A Museum, this time the pleats form part of the brim at the front.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9kMGKJ6CIug/VMJaxCAGNuI/AAAAAAAACbQ/Omp7dGMQCGA/s1600/bluevintage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9kMGKJ6CIug/VMJaxCAGNuI/AAAAAAAACbQ/Omp7dGMQCGA/s1600/bluevintage.jpg" height="200" width="163" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUdhMsz-lys/VMJcStQZYXI/AAAAAAAACbY/OCRAGWF5MUQ/s1600/vandacloche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUdhMsz-lys/VMJcStQZYXI/AAAAAAAACbY/OCRAGWF5MUQ/s1600/vandacloche.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>I decided to focus my pleats at the back to create an asymmetric sweep around the base of the head and then hand form a turned up brim at the front. &nbsp;I used blocking reed to secure the front head fitting so it would not stretch it out of shape whilst forming the brim.<br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FvWAmf8UmVs/VMFie0yX3WI/AAAAAAAACa4/8A-DY66u4jI/s1600/blogger-image--1130583815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FvWAmf8UmVs/VMFie0yX3WI/AAAAAAAACa4/8A-DY66u4jI/s320/blogger-image--1130583815.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wvHrvtwBDfU/VMFia4LTdXI/AAAAAAAACao/qhZMxFBlzlg/s1600/blogger-image-1615867093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wvHrvtwBDfU/VMFia4LTdXI/AAAAAAAACao/qhZMxFBlzlg/s320/blogger-image-1615867093.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And finished-really must tidy up my workroom! &nbsp;I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Now I just need an occasion to wear it to....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mQkLp9kuO2I/VMot9HD1MAI/AAAAAAAACbo/40dWTI7aoPc/s640/blogger-image--1142117510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mQkLp9kuO2I/VMot9HD1MAI/AAAAAAAACbo/40dWTI7aoPc/s320/blogger-image--1142117510.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-A0mI9TN_f_8/VMot-3WzqcI/AAAAAAAACbw/uCVzejZPpcE/s640/blogger-image--1193049073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-A0mI9TN_f_8/VMot-3WzqcI/AAAAAAAACbw/uCVzejZPpcE/s320/blogger-image--1193049073.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AWCMHGZx7Ps/VMouAhoSFQI/AAAAAAAACb4/KbJbZljHJCs/s640/blogger-image--1232891495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AWCMHGZx7Ps/VMouAhoSFQI/AAAAAAAACb4/KbJbZljHJCs/s320/blogger-image--1232891495.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cu3A8cijljw/VMouCB6P29I/AAAAAAAACcA/mIiir7ZZNd0/s640/blogger-image-1002822462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cu3A8cijljw/VMouCB6P29I/AAAAAAAACcA/mIiir7ZZNd0/s320/blogger-image-1002822462.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Challenge:</strong><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> February:Blue</span><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></em></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Fabric: </b>Wool felt</em></span></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pattern:</em></strong><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;No pattern, based on extant examples.</em></span></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Year:</b> 1920's</em></span></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Notions: </strong><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Millinery petersham</span></em></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How historically accurate is it? </strong><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The wool felt hood is period accurate and the cloche is entirely hand sewn. &nbsp;I used modern water based hat sizing, as the chemical version that is technically accurate is seriously toxic! So 95% accurate.</span></em></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hours to complete: </strong><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">about 10 hours, not including drying time.</span></em></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>First worn:</b> not worn yet<b>&nbsp;</b></i></span></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Total cost: </strong><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I have had the felt hood for ages so not exactly sure! They cost about £5 and maybe £2 for the petersham and thread. &nbsp;So approx £7. &nbsp;</span></em></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-48493139141917778672015-01-05T08:01:00.001-08:002015-05-13T14:51:12.719-07:002014 Round-up and 2015 PlansWell its a New Year, an obvious time to take stock of things and plan for the future. &nbsp;2014 was a very mixed bag of a year. &nbsp;ON the positive side I had some fabulous times with friends and family and totally the best day of my life so far, when I married my beloved Mr EB in June. I couldn't have asked for a better day, the weather was perfect, food was amazing and we are so lucky to have so many lovely people in our lives who came to share it all with us. &nbsp;Sadly, the year also contained way, way too much crap! &nbsp;I spent two weeks in Papworth in March/April plus a further three weeks at home on ivs being treated for Micobacterium Chelonae, I can honestly say that the treatment was utterly horrible-I have never been so sick in my life! &nbsp;So that was hilarious fun, &nbsp;then in October my health was the worse its ever been, i ended up back in Papworth and oxygen dependent for the first time in my life. &nbsp;I don't think I really appreciated just how ill I was at the time, probably because going into denial was the only way I could cope with it. &nbsp;I had another round of the micobacterium treatment (yay more ridiculous nausea!) and spent three weeks in Papworth and another two weeks on ivs at home. &nbsp;It really was a horrible experience, I had one evening when I simply could not catch my breath, my O2 saturation plummeted and the nurses bunged me straight on oxygen. &nbsp;In retrospect I was really scared, and it still scares me just how bad I got and how quickly, but at the time I was surprisingly calm, as I wasn't totally aware of what was going on. &nbsp;The next ten days or so were spent pretty much on oxygen 24/7 which whilst it definitely made me feel better, meant I was also stuck in bed for pretty much the whole time-very dull! &nbsp;I became very weak and lost a spectacular amount of weight during October and the only reason I didn't end up have to NG feed was that I had a total freak out about it and managed to persuade the dietitians I would start drinking the dreadful milkshake supplements (which I have and thank God the weight is slowly getting back to an acceptable level).<br /><br />This health crash has forced me into having to reassess my life, yet again-bloody CF! &nbsp;Trying to stick to my motto of 'adopt, adapt and improve', I'm attempting to view this as a positive thing, but mostly I'm just a bit confused as to what I am going to do. &nbsp;Working to a deadline is just way too stressful when you can't tell if you may suddenly end up stuck in hospital unable to do anything for three weeks...So work is going to have change a lot, I'm just not quite sure how yet! More hats and embroidery seem one way to go, but I don't know how I'm going to sell anything-suggestions gratefully received...<br /><br />We are also considering moving to a new house that will make my life a bit easier on the domestic front. &nbsp;Stairs are definitely no longer my friend. &nbsp;It's not that I can't do them, I can, but when I'm not feeling great (which is increasingly often), when I get to the top I either feel terribly faint or have a massive coughing fit-not ideal! Our house only has an upstairs bathroom which is a bit problematic; so we are on the look out for a bungalow- I feel so old! &nbsp;I love George Street and really don't want to have to go through the stress of moving, but equally I am increasingly conscious that I cant keep up with the domestic side of life, not to mention the garden-I really do feel utterly useless at times! So, we are considering moving now before I get much worse and it becomes harder. &nbsp;So it looks like there will be some big changes ahead in 2015.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-64199886737117278402014-09-12T07:20:00.000-07:002014-09-12T07:20:23.469-07:00Wedding Pictures!Yes, I know its been ages since we tied the knot, but I have at last sorted myself out (a bit) and uploaded a few of our photos. &nbsp;I will do a post about my dress in a bit more depth once I've finished it- I started it ages ago but have been procrastinating ever si<span id="goog_576245681"></span><span id="goog_576245682"></span>nce! Our photos were taken by the fabulous <a href="http://www.paulwhiteweddings.com/">Paul White</a>, who I cannot recommend highly enough. As well as being such an amazing photographer he is a really lovely chap who made us feel so relaxed that even Mr EB didn't mind being snapped!.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9s2G5xlAHbs/VBL9B1kmIoI/AAAAAAAACXU/ORKj9MXjnuM/s1600/EVANS137%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9s2G5xlAHbs/VBL9B1kmIoI/AAAAAAAACXU/ORKj9MXjnuM/s1600/EVANS137%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--A5ox2EaxwY/VBL9M235SCI/AAAAAAAACXk/hg074_AxVVM/s1600/EVANS134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--A5ox2EaxwY/VBL9M235SCI/AAAAAAAACXk/hg074_AxVVM/s1600/EVANS134.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6sJFsYm8Tfk/VBL9DLCCuBI/AAAAAAAACXc/pM4n-auhbnE/s1600/EVANS171%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6sJFsYm8Tfk/VBL9DLCCuBI/AAAAAAAACXc/pM4n-auhbnE/s1600/EVANS171%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-opIVsG0ZCoc/VBL9gMpo7cI/AAAAAAAACX0/wQk-WthmnUg/s1600/EVANS193%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-opIVsG0ZCoc/VBL9gMpo7cI/AAAAAAAACX0/wQk-WthmnUg/s1600/EVANS193%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D1jH_5B2QIM/VBL9aEFOOuI/AAAAAAAACXs/HXznyy9cXo0/s1600/EVANS215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D1jH_5B2QIM/VBL9aEFOOuI/AAAAAAAACXs/HXznyy9cXo0/s1600/EVANS215.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxGwXSqhMXE/VBL9tzn6-jI/AAAAAAAACX8/f2pTVUEvyJE/s1600/EVANS226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxGwXSqhMXE/VBL9tzn6-jI/AAAAAAAACX8/f2pTVUEvyJE/s1600/EVANS226.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MRV8myT_VRU/VBL9uA3oYaI/AAAAAAAACYA/8UdlIq21gaw/s1600/EVANS244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MRV8myT_VRU/VBL9uA3oYaI/AAAAAAAACYA/8UdlIq21gaw/s1600/EVANS244.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-go09unIl6dA/VBL-IO3dc-I/AAAAAAAACYY/uJJcVL57njc/s1600/EVANS264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-go09unIl6dA/VBL-IO3dc-I/AAAAAAAACYY/uJJcVL57njc/s1600/EVANS264.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNxs0PdCobQ/VBL-H2sPj6I/AAAAAAAACYU/KpW3SrwiQIc/s1600/EVANS272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNxs0PdCobQ/VBL-H2sPj6I/AAAAAAAACYU/KpW3SrwiQIc/s1600/EVANS272.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TwNbgB5M3TU/VBL-Gp0rB1I/AAAAAAAACYM/jBCp8vghcAM/s1600/EVANS317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TwNbgB5M3TU/VBL-Gp0rB1I/AAAAAAAACYM/jBCp8vghcAM/s1600/EVANS317.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOUZO0-cHYk/VBL-bKcEMqI/AAAAAAAACYs/F9xv1oqhvLU/s1600/EVANS328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOUZO0-cHYk/VBL-bKcEMqI/AAAAAAAACYs/F9xv1oqhvLU/s1600/EVANS328.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our amazing 'Lego' cake made by my genus of a sister in law.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h2qDTEoZF6M/VBL-UQCMAzI/AAAAAAAACYk/mhJcEeEnAXE/s1600/EVANS330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h2qDTEoZF6M/VBL-UQCMAzI/AAAAAAAACYk/mhJcEeEnAXE/s1600/EVANS330.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KesXQCINW78/VBL-kq7VRxI/AAAAAAAACY0/ysiPqST6bjU/s1600/EVANS358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KesXQCINW78/VBL-kq7VRxI/AAAAAAAACY0/ysiPqST6bjU/s1600/EVANS358.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUXd5wdf_ak/VBL-8dzrJII/AAAAAAAACZE/qeX5i91yEN0/s1600/EVANS453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUXd5wdf_ak/VBL-8dzrJII/AAAAAAAACZE/qeX5i91yEN0/s1600/EVANS453.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UroBcQNObqI/VBL-_eompLI/AAAAAAAACZM/cZybP0Zp6hI/s1600/EVANS478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UroBcQNObqI/VBL-_eompLI/AAAAAAAACZM/cZybP0Zp6hI/s1600/EVANS478.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R2Uxrmggohc/VBL-3pVHXtI/AAAAAAAACY8/KZHllBkd9Iw/s1600/EVANS528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R2Uxrmggohc/VBL-3pVHXtI/AAAAAAAACY8/KZHllBkd9Iw/s1600/EVANS528.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24991936.post-8487347593838033822014-07-09T10:19:00.000-07:002014-07-09T10:19:27.882-07:00Pictures, pictures, pictures! Oh dear another long blog silence! But in my defence at least I can say 'Reader, I married him!' &nbsp;Always wanted to do that:-) We had a glorious day for our wedding without a drop of rain, the day after we had a huge thunder storm! I will do a post about my dress when I get time to actually write it and have sorted out the pictures. &nbsp;In the meantime, you can see a slideshow of our wonderful photos as taken be the incredibly talented Paul White, on his Facebook page<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/weddingphotographerlondon">https://www.facebook.com/weddingphotographerlondon</a><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0